Ultranationalists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals advocating for extreme national pride and prioritizing their nation's interests above all else
2. supporters of policies that often exclude or discriminate against outsiders
3. individuals whose ideology reflects an excessive devotion to the nation, often leading to aggressive nationalism

Etymology: Ultranationalists are, literally, people who go "beyond" nationalism. The prefix "ultra-" comes from Latin "ultra," meaning "beyond" or "on the far side of," and it has long been used in English to mark extremes, as in "ultraviolet" (beyond violet light). Attached to "nationalist," it names someone who pushes the idea of loyalty to one's own nation to an extreme, often at the expense of other peoples. The base word "nationalist" is built from "national," which came into English through Latin "natio," meaning a birth or a group of people sharing a common origin, from "nasci," "to be born," plus the suffix "-ist," denoting a follower or adherent. The combination of these parts shows how the idea of a nation was once tied to shared birth and descent before it came to mean a political community bound by a state. The plural "ultranationalists" is simply the plural of "ultranationalist," formed by adding "-s" to the singular noun.

Synonyms: extremists, nationalists

Antonyms: internationalists