राष्ट्रवादी (raashtrvaadii)

noun/adjective Built from राष्ट्र (raashtr, 'nation') plus the agentive/ideological suffix -वादी (vaadii), this word covers both 'nationalist' as a description of a person and 'nationalist' as an adjective describing ideas, parties, or movements.
Sense 1 : a nationalist (person)
noun, masculine/feminine
Synonyms: देशभक्त (deshbhakt, patriot -- not identical but often used nearby)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In current Indian political discourse, राष्ट्रवादी (raashtrvaadii) is a loaded, frequently-used term in news debates and party self-descriptions, so learners will meet it constantly on TV news and in newspaper headlines. Its neutrality or charge depends heavily on the speaker's politics -- much like 'nationalist' in English today.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes conflate this with देशभक्त (deshbhakt); राष्ट्रवादी (raashtrvaadii) implies a political ideology or stance (nationalism as a program), while देशभक्त (deshbhakt) is simply about love for one's country and carries no ideological baggage.
Sample Sentences:
वह खुद को एक सच्चा राष्ट्रवादी मानता है। He considers himself a true nationalist.
(vah khud ko ek sachchaa raashtrvaadii maantaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
टीवी डिबेट में एक राष्ट्रवादी और एक उदारवादी के बीच तीखी बहस हुई। In the TV debate, a heated argument broke out between a nationalist and a liberal.
(tiivii dibet men ek raashtrvaadii aur ek udaarvaadii ke biich tiikhii bahas huii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
पार्टी के कई नेता खुद को कट्टर राष्ट्रवादी कहलाना पसंद करते हैं। Many leaders of the party like to be called staunch nationalists.
(paartii ke kaii netaa khud ko kattar raashtrvaadii kahlaanaa pasand karte hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अखबार ने उसे एक जाने-माने राष्ट्रवादी के रूप में पेश किया। The newspaper presented him as a well-known nationalist.
(akhbaar ne use ek jaane-maane raashtrvaadii ke roop men pesh kiyaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम अपने आप को राष्ट्रवादी कहते हो या देशभक्त? Do you call yourself a nationalist or a patriot?
(kyaa tum apne aap ko raashtrvaadii kahte ho yaa deshbhakt?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
स्वतंत्रता आंदोलन के दौरान कई महान राष्ट्रवादियों ने जेल की सजा काटी। During the freedom movement, many great nationalists served jail sentences.
(svatantrtaa aandolan ke dauraan kaii mahaan raashtrvaadiyon ne jel kii sajaa kaatii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर वह सचमुच राष्ट्रवादी होता, तो अपने ही देश के मज़दूरों का शोषण न करता। If he were truly a nationalist, he wouldn't exploit the workers of his own country.
(agar vah sachmuch raashtrvaadii hotaa, to apne hii desh ke mazdooron kaa shoshan n kartaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
मीडिया में इन दिनों हर किसी को राष्ट्रवादी या देशद्रोही के खाँचे में डाल दिया जाता है। In the media these days, everyone is pigeonholed as either a nationalist or a traitor.
(miidiyaa men in dinon har kisii ko raashtrvaadii yaa deshadrohii ke khaanche men daal diyaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
हो सकता है वह असली राष्ट्रवादी न हो, बस वोट बटोरने का तरीका हो। It's possible he isn't a real nationalist, it's just a way to gather votes.
(ho saktaa hai vah aslii raashtrvaadii n ho, bas vot batorne kaa tariikaa ho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
उस लेख में लेखक ने राष्ट्रवादियों की आलोचना करते हुए कहा कि सच्चा प्रेम दिखावे का मोहताज नहीं होता। In that article, criticizing the nationalists, the author said that true love doesn't need to be displayed.
(us lekh men lekhak ne raashtrvaadiyon kii aalochnaa karte hue kahaa ki sachchaa prem dikhaave kaa mohtaaj nahiin hotaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगले चुनाव तक यह पार्टी खुद को कट्टर राष्ट्रवादियों की पार्टी के रूप में स्थापित कर लेगी। By the next election, this party will have established itself as the party of hardline nationalists.
(agle chunaav tak yah paartii khud ko kattar raashtrvaadiyon kii paartii ke roop men sthaapit kar legii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : nationalist, nationalistic (describing ideas, parties, movements)
adjective
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the form you will see attached to nouns like पार्टी (paartii, 'party') or आंदोलन (aandolan, 'movement') in news writing -- राष्ट्रवादी पार्टी (raashtrvaadii paartii, 'nationalist party') is a very common collocation.
Sample Sentences:
यह एक राष्ट्रवादी पार्टी है। This is a nationalist party.
(yah ek raashtrvaadii paartii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
राष्ट्रवादी आंदोलन ने पूरे देश को हिला दिया। The nationalist movement shook the entire country.
(raashtrvaadii aandolan ne poore desh ko hilaa diyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अखबार राष्ट्रवादी विचारधारा को बढ़ावा दे रहे हैं। The newspapers are promoting a nationalist ideology.
(akhbaar raashtrvaadii vichaardhaaraa ko badhaavaa de rahe hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या यह नीति सचमुच राष्ट्रवादी है या केवल दिखावा? Is this policy really nationalist, or just a show?
(kyaa yah niiti sachmuch raashtrvaadii hai yaa keval dikhaavaa?)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उस समय कई राष्ट्रवादी संगठन उभर रहे थे। At that time, many nationalist organizations were emerging.
(us samay kaii raashtrvaadii sangthan ubhar rahe the।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर सरकार राष्ट्रवादी रुख अपनाती, तो जनता का समर्थन बढ़ता। If the government had adopted a nationalist stance, public support would have grown.
(agar sarkaar raashtrvaadii rukh apnaatii, to jantaa kaa samarthan badhtaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
इस पार्टी को राष्ट्रवादी पार्टी कहा जाता है। This party is called a nationalist party.
(is paartii ko raashtrvaadii paartii kahaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
संपादकीय में लिखा गया कि यह आंदोलन पूरी तरह राष्ट्रवादी था। It was written in the editorial that this movement was entirely nationalist.
(sampaadkiiy men likhaa gayaa ki yah aandolan poorii tarah raashtrvaadii thaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
राष्ट्रवादी नीतियों की वजह से व्यापारिक संबंधों में तनाव आ सकता है। Because of nationalist policies, tension may arise in trade relations.
(raashtrvaadii niitiyon kii vajah se vyaapaarik sambandhon men tanaav aa saktaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के दौरान अनेक राष्ट्रवादी पत्रिकाएँ प्रकाशित होती थीं। During the freedom struggle, many nationalist magazines used to be published.
(svatantrtaa sangraam ke dauraan anek raashtrvaadii patrikaaen prakaashit hotii thiin।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
देश को राष्ट्रवादी भावना से एकजुट रखिए, विभाजनकारी नारों से नहीं। Keep the country united through nationalist feeling, not through divisive slogans.
(desh ko raashtrvaadii bhaavnaa se ekjut rakhie, vibhaajankaarii naaron se nahiin।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct): राष्ट्रवादी (raashtrvaadii)
(sg.m/f.oblique): राष्ट्रवादी (raashtrvaadii)
(pl.m/f.direct): राष्ट्रवादियाँ (raashtrvaadiyaan)
(pl.m/f.oblique): राष्ट्रवादियों (raashtrvaadiyon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant: राष्ट्रवादी (raashtrvaadii)