nationality

American  

[nash-uh-nal-i-tee] / ˌnæʃ əˈnæl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

nationalities

1. the status of belonging to a particular nation, whether by birth or naturalization.

   the nationality of an immigrant.

2. the relationship of property, holdings, etc., to a particular nation, or to one or more of its members.

   the nationality of a ship.

3. nationalism.

4. existence as a distinct nation; national independence.

   a small colony that has just achieved nationality.

5. a nation or people.

   the nationalities of the Americas.

6. a national quality or character.

   Nationalities tend to submerge and disappear in a metropolis.

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nationality British  

/ ˌnæʃəˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or fact of being a citizen of a particular nation

2. a body of people sharing common descent, history, language, etc; a nation

3. a national group

   30 different nationalities are found in this city

4. national character or quality

5. the state or fact of being a nation; national status

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Etymology

Origin of nationality

First recorded in 1685–95; national + -ity

Explanation

Your nationality is the country you come from: American, Canadian, and Russian are all nationalities. Everyone has a gender, race, sexual orientation...and a nationality. A person's nationality is where they are a legal citizen, usually in the country where they were born. People from Mexico have Mexican nationality, and people from Australia have Australian nationality. People of the same nationality usually share traditions and customs, and they might look a little alike, too. Nationality is one of many qualities that bring people together.

Example Sentences

World Athletics has rejected the applications of 11 elite athletes to switch their nationality to Turkey.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Suriname didn’t allow dual nationality, which prevented the national team from tapping into the significant pool of Dutch-born players who might otherwise qualify through their Surinamese parents or grandparents.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Over half of those crossing since Sunday specified the nationality of their owner, crew or cargo using their AIS signals, it showed.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

We were able to combine these two datasets using fields common to both of them, including date of arrest, gender, age, nationality, location and method of arrest.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

It is a listing of names and addresses, names and ages of children, occupation, name and address of business or businesses, estimated yearly income, nationality, year-to-date dollar figures, percentage changes.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• citizenship
• community
• ethnic group
• origin
• society