Meaning & use
jingoistic
Last updated
UK/ˌdʒɪŋ.ɡəʊˈɪs.tɪk/
US/ˌdʒɪŋ.ɡoʊˈɪs.tɪk/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.
Meaning
adjectivecomparabledisapproving
Showing an extreme, aggressive pride in your own country and a willingness to attack other nations.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a jingoistic speech; the tone was jingoistic.
Patterns
- a jingoistic speech
- jingoistic about something
The newspaper printed a jingoistic article urging war.
His jingoistic speech excited the crowd but alarmed diplomats.
Critics called the film jingoistic and one-sided.
Word forms
| comparative | more jingoistic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most jingoistic |
Common combinations
- jingoistic rhetoric
- Jingoistic rhetoric raised tensions between the countries.
- jingoistic nationalism
- Jingoistic nationalism swept through the press.
- jingoistic tone
- The editorial adopted a jingoistic tone.
- jingoistic slogans
- Crowds chanted jingoistic slogans.
- jingoistic propaganda
- The regime relied on jingoistic propaganda.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chauvinistic
- Chauvinistic means excessively loyal to a group, and it can apply to gender as well as nation, while jingoistic is about aggressive patriotism.
- nationalistic
- Nationalistic is a more neutral word for devotion to one's nation, while jingoistic implies threatening other countries.
- xenophobic
- Xenophobic means fearful or hateful toward foreigners, which is different from boasting about one's own country.
- patriotic
- Patriotic is usually positive and mild, while jingoistic is negative and aggressive.
Opposites
peaceableinternationalist
Word family
- jingoism noun
- aggressive patriotism
- jingoist noun
- a person who shows jingoism
- jingoistically adverb
- in an aggressively patriotic way
Commonly confused: jingoistic or patriotic?
jingoistic vs patriotic
Patriotic can be a healthy love of country. Jingoistic is an extreme and critical form.
Practice
Which describes a jingoistic speech?
Choose one answer.
Jingoistic speech is aggressively nationalist. The others are peaceful or neutral.
Make it your own
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