noun

Nazi

NAHT-see

noun

A member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which ruled Germany under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945.

"The museum documents how the Nazis rose to power."

A person who supports Nazi or neo-Nazi ideology today.

"The rally was organized to counter a march by neo-Nazis."

Informal and often hyperbolic: someone seen as excessively controlling, rigid, or oppressive about a particular thing.

"His coworkers jokingly called him a "grammar nazi.""

adj

Relating to the Nazi Party or Nazi Germany.

"Historians continue to study Nazi propaganda techniques."

How to Use Nazi

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishRefers to the WWII-era German fascist party and its ideology, or informally (and often controversially) to someone acting like a petty tyrant about rules.

When to use it

The historical/political sense is a serious, weighty term; the joking "grammar nazi" usage is casual slang some people consider disrespectful given the history.

Word Forms

more Nazi comparative, Nazis plural, most Nazi superlative

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The museum documents how the _____ rose to power.

Etymology

A German clipping of Nationalsozialist ("National Socialist"), first used around 1930; the coincidental resemblance to "Nazi" as an old nickname for the name Ignaz may have made the abbreviation stick as an insult.

Rhymes for Nazi

Anasazi Benghazi

See all rhymes for Nazi →