Meaning & use
patriot
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Meanings
nouncountableapproving
Someone who feels deep loyalty to their country and is ready to defend or serve it.
Grammar: Often has a positive tone: a true patriot.
Patterns
- a patriot of somewhere
He considered himself a patriot and volunteered for the army.
The poem praises the patriots who built the new nation.
She is a patriot who also criticizes her government's mistakes.
nouncountablespecialist
Someone who took part in a country's fight to win its independence, especially in the American Revolution.
Grammar: Capitalized with a specific group: the Patriots of 1776.
Patterns
- a Patriot soldier
Patriot forces besieged the town in the spring of 1775.
The museum displays letters written by a Patriot officer.
Many Patriots were farmers and craftsmen.
nouncountablemilitary
A surface-to-air missile system, named in capitals.
Grammar: Capitalized because it is a system name: a Patriot battery.
Patterns
- a Patriot missile
The army deployed a Patriot battery near the airport.
Analysts studied the range of the Patriot system.
Word forms
| plural | patriots |
|---|
Common combinations
- true patriot
- A true patriot, he said, serves quietly.
- proud patriot
- She is a proud patriot who volunteers every holiday.
- loyal patriot
- The loyal patriot gave up his career to serve.
- self-proclaimed patriot
- The self-proclaimed patriot gave a long speech at the rally.
- patriot movement
- The patriot movement helped drive out the colonial rulers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nationalist
- Nationalist can imply placing one nation above others, and is less warm than patriot.
- loyalist
- A loyalist is faithful to a ruler or established government, rather than to the country in general.
- flag-waver
- Flag-waver is an informal and often mocking term for someone showing loud patriotism.
- jingoist
- Jingoist is insulting and describes aggressive, war-eager patriotism, unlike the generally positive patriot.
Opposites
Word family
- patriotic adjective
- showing love for one's country
- patriotism noun
- love and support for one's country
- patriotically adverb
- in a way that shows love for one's country
- expatriate noun
- someone living outside their own country
Commonly confused: patriot or partisan?
patriot vs partisan
A partisan strongly supports one party or cause, not necessarily a country; a patriot supports their nation.
Practice
Which person is most clearly described as a patriot?
Choose one answer.
A patriot shows loyalty and service to their country, which fits the citizen. The other options show no particular loyalty to a nation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “patriot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.