Slavophile

American  

[slah-vuh-fahyl, -fil, slav-uh-] / ˈslɑ vəˌfaɪl, -fɪl, ˈslæv ə- /

Also Slavophil

noun

1. a person who greatly admires the Slavs and Slavic ways.

2. one of a group of mid-19th century Russian intellectuals who favored traditional cultural practices over Western innovations, especially in political and religious life.

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adjective

1. admiring or favoring the Slavs and Slavic interests, aims, customs, etc.

Slavophile British  

/ ˈslɑːvəʊfɪˌlɪzəm, ˈslɑːvəʊfɪl, -ˌfaɪl, sləˈvɒfɪˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a person who admires the Slavs or their cultures

2. (sometimes not capital) (in 19th-century Russia) a person who believed in the superiority and advocated the supremacy of the Slavs

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adjective

1. admiring the Slavs and Slavonic culture, etc

2. (sometimes not capital) (in 19th-century Russia) of, characteristic of, or relating to the Slavophiles

Other Word Forms

• Slavophilism noun

Etymology

Origin of Slavophile

1875–80; Slavo- + -phile; compare Russian slavyanofíl

Example Sentences

Yet later in the book, Turgenev informs the Slavophile Dostoyevsky: “You should know that I … consider myself a German, not a Russian, and I’m proud of it!”

From New York Times • Oct. 28, 2019

Nikolay Danilevskiy, another prominent Slavophile, disputed that Europe was a continent at all and argued that it should instead be considered just an appendage of Asia.

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2017

Even today a powerful Slavophile movement regards Western ways as incompatible with the Russian character.

From Time Magazine Archive

One need not be a Slavophile to admire Russian patriotism.

From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by Huneker, James

He believed in Russia; he had nothing against the Slavophile theory that Russia had a divine mission; only he wished to see that mission divinely performed.

From An Outline of Russian Literature by Baring, Maurice