Jingoists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who advocate for aggressive nationalism or militaristic policies
2. Those who express extreme patriotism, often favoring interventionist foreign policies
3. People characterized by a fervent belief in national superiority and readiness for conflict to promote national interests

Etymology: Jingoist is a plural form, so it is simply the plural of "jingoist", a noun for someone who expresses extreme patriotism and often backs aggressive foreign policy. The singular is built from "jingo" plus the suffix "-ist", which marks a person who adheres to or practises something. The suffix has a long history of its own. It passed through Ancient Greek forms ending in "-istēs", was taken into Latin as "-ista", reached English through Old French, and was then attached to the English noun "jingo" to make a new word for a person holding a particular set of views. The base word "jingo" is the more striking part of the story. It is an English word with no confirmed earlier origin behind it, and its use as the root of "jingoist" is what gives the term its political flavour.

Synonyms: nationalists, patriots

Antonyms: pacifists