nativism

[ ney-ti-viz-uhm ]

noun

1. the policy of protecting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants.
2. the policy or practice of preserving or reviving an Indigenous culture.
3. Philosophy. the doctrine that innate ideas exist.
4. innateness hypothesis.

nativism

/ ˈneɪtɪˌvɪzəm /

noun

1. the policy of favouring the natives of a country over the immigrants
2. anthropol the policy of protecting and reaffirming native tribal cultures in reaction to acculturation
3. the doctrine that the mind and its capacities are innately structured and that much knowledge is innate

Derived Forms

• ˈnativist, nounadjective
• ˌnativˈistic, adjective

Other Words From

• na·tiv·ist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nativism¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; native + -ism

Example Sentences

Texans’ use of “Come and take it” in their fight against Mexico added a new layer of nativism to the original legend, and the Alamo siege reinforced its connections to martyrdom.

From The Daily Beast

So I reached out to Ackerman for a forthcoming episode of Vox Conversations to talk about how the war on terror upended American politics and set us on a glide path to nativism and lawlessness.

From Vox

Deep traditions of racism and nativism found many Americans receptive, even as the United States prepared to fight against them overseas.

From Washington Post

As history education in American K-12 schools was formalized in the late 19th century, during a period of nativism and nostalgia, the idea that such classes should inspire patriotism became more widespread.

From Time

This is a particularly gross bit of nativism, but it's also dumb.

From Washington Post

The relatively lax immigration policy of the early 20th century gave way to rabid nativism in the 1920s.

From The Daily Beast

While American nativism and anti-Semitism declined after World War II, so did the overt Jewishness of Superman.

From The Daily Beast

But last I checked, neither Jean-Marie Le Pen, Filip Dewinter nor Joe Arpaio learned their nativism from reading Jabotinsky.

From The Daily Beast

Except in city politics nativism had no vitality; in state and national politics it really had no excuse.

From Project Gutenberg

Its only real contribution to government was the proof that nativism is not Americanism.

From Project Gutenberg

They repudiated nativism; they repudiated independence; they abhorred the very idea of annexation.

From Project Gutenberg

These great companies especially promote the patriotism of Great Britain, but they are controlled by no narrow nativism.

From Project Gutenberg

The Old West raised the issues of nativism and a lower standard of comfort.

From Project Gutenberg