Meaning & use
nationalism
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Meanings
noununcountable
Strong loyalty to one's own nation, often with the belief that its interests come before those of others.
Grammar: Normally has no article: a rise in nationalism.
Patterns
- nationalism in somewhere
- nationalism among someone
Rising nationalism changed the tone of the election campaign.
Historians link the war to a surge of nationalism across the region.
Her essay compares nationalism with simple pride in one's homeland.
noununcountable
A political movement seeking independence or self-government for a people who see themselves as a nation.
Grammar: Often takes a modifier showing the group: Scottish nationalism, Kurdish nationalism.
Patterns
- Welsh nationalism
- the nationalism of a people
Scottish nationalism grew stronger after the referendum.
Anti-colonial nationalism shaped politics across Africa in the twentieth century.
The party built its appeal on cultural nationalism.
Common combinations
- rise of nationalism
- The rise of nationalism worried neighboring countries.
- economic nationalism
- Economic nationalism led the government to tax imports heavily.
- fuel nationalism
- Unemployment can fuel nationalism.
- cultural nationalism
- Cultural nationalism encouraged writers to revive the old language.
- extreme nationalism
- Extreme nationalism often silences minorities.
Synonyms and how they differ
- patriotism
- Patriotism usually means simple love of one's country, while nationalism often adds a sense of its priority over others.
- chauvinism
- Chauvinism is harsher and always critical, describing blind belief that one's own group is superior.
- separatism
- Separatism concerns breaking away from a state, which is only one form of nationalism.
Opposites
Word family
- nation noun
- a large group of people or a country
- national adjective
- relating to a whole country
- nationalist noun
- a person who supports nationalism
- nationalistic adjective
- showing strong nationalist feeling
Commonly confused: nationalism or nationalization?
nationalism vs nationalization
Nationalization means a government taking over an industry; nationalism is loyalty to a nation.
Practice
Which sentence uses nationalism correctly?
Choose one answer.
Nationalism names a political feeling or movement, which fits the colony demanding independence. The others misuse it as a process, a verb or a food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nationalism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.