noun
- spirit or aspirations common to the whole of a nation.
- devotion and loyalty to one’s own country; patriotism.
- excessive patriotism; chauvinism.
- the desire for national advancement or political independence.
- the policy or doctrine of asserting the interests of one’s own nation viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations.
- an idiom or trait peculiar to a nation.
- a movement, as in the arts, based upon the folk idioms, history, aspirations, etc., of a nation.
noun
- a sentiment based on common cultural characteristics that binds a population and often produces a policy of national independence or separatism
- loyalty or devotion to one’s country; patriotism
- exaggerated, passionate, or fanatical devotion to a national communitySee also chauvinism
n.1844, “devotion to one’s country;” see nationalist + -ism; in some usages from French nationalisme. Earlier it was used in a theological sense of “the doctrine of divine election of nations” (1836). Later it was used in a sense of “doctrine advocating nationalization of a country’s industry” (1892). The strong belief that the interests of a particular nation-state are of primary importance. Also, the belief that a people who share a common language, history, and culture should constitute an independent nation, free of foreign domination.