patriot

patriot — noun

1. someone who feels deep loyalty to their country and is prepared to protect it in

1.nounC1
Definition

someone who feels deep loyalty to their country and is prepared to protect it in dangerous times.

Example

After the border attack, the mayor called Mr. Sato a patriot for guarding the bridge.

call someone a patriot

After the city hall fire, students called Ms. Chen a patriot for saving town records.

call someone a patriot for + -ing

Common collocations
  • true patriot
  • quiet patriot
  • call someone a patriot
  • see someone as a patriot
Synonyms
  • nationalist

    can be stronger and more political, and may suggest hostility to other countries

  • loyalist

    focuses on loyalty to a ruler, government, or cause, not always to the country itself

  • defender

    focuses on action to protect something, while patriot also includes feeling and identity

Antonyms
  • traitor

    someone who acts against their own country

Grammar Patterns

a true patriot

call someone a patriot

see someone as a patriot

Usage Note

Usually approving. Common with people seen as putting the country's safety or future above personal comfort. Distinguish from 'nationalist', which often suggests a stronger political attitude and can sound more negative.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is a patriotic.
My uncle is a patriot.
'patriot' is the noun for a person; 'patriotic' is an adjective.
Many citizens felt patriot after the speech.
Many citizens felt patriotic after the speech.
after 'felt', use the adjective 'patriotic', not the noun 'patriot'.

Word family

  • patriotic
    adjectiveB2
  • patriotism
    nounC1
  • patriotically
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A patriot is someone whose love and loyalty are directed toward their country as a whole. Nationalist can overlap, but it is more political and often suggests strong ideas about national identity or superiority. Loyalist is narrower: it usually means someone faithful to a ruler, party, or side in a conflict, so the focus is not always the nation itself. Defender stresses action rather than feeling; a defender protects a place, value, or person, but may not be called a patriot unless the action is tied to devotion to the country. Compare: The town honored her as a patriot after the war. Party loyalists filled the front rows at the rally.

patriot ↗nationalist ↗loyalistdefender ↗

Etymology

GreekLate LatinFrenchEnglish

English borrowed patriot from French. The French form came from late Latin patriota, and earlier Greek patriotes, meaning a fellow countryman. Those older words were linked to the idea of one's fathers or native land. In English, the word later came to mean a person strongly devoted to their country.