anti-nationalism
|an-ti-na-tion-al-ism|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈnæʃ(ə)nəlɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˈnæʃ(ə)n(ə)lɪzəm/
against nationalism
Etymology
'anti-nationalism' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' and the noun 'nationalism'. 'anti-' originates from Greek 'antí' meaning 'against, opposite', while 'nationalism' derives from 'nation' + suffixes '-al' and '-ism'.
'nation' comes from Latin 'natio' (meaning 'birth, tribe, people'), passed into Old French 'nacion' and Middle English 'nacioun/nation'; 'national' developed from 'nation' and '-ism' (a 19th-century formation) produced 'nationalism'. The prefix 'anti-' (Greek) was later attached in English to form compounds like 'anti-nationalism'.
Originally 'nation' referred to birth or people; 'nationalism' emerged in the 18th–19th centuries to denote political allegiance to the nation. 'Anti-nationalism' later developed to label opposition to that political doctrine — i.e., 'against nationalism'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a political ideology or stance that opposes nationalism and the prioritization of national identity or interests above others.
Her writings advocated anti-nationalism, arguing that ethnic boundaries should not determine political rights.
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Noun 2
actions, movements, or public sentiment that resist nationalist policies, rhetoric, or movements in specific contexts (e.g., anti-nationalism in a country reacting to a surge of nationalist politics).
There were visible signs of anti-nationalism during the protests, with many banners criticizing exclusionary immigration policies.
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Last updated: 2025/11/12 22:31