Word
nazi
Phoneticsnazi
/ˈnɑtsi/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a member of the political party that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. In casual talk, people sometimes use it to describe someone who is very strict and controlling about rules.
n. a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. In a figurative and often pejorative sense, it refers to a person who is perceived as excessively authoritarian or fanatically dedicated to enforcing specific rules.
Examples
“The history book explains how the Nazi party rose to power.”
“The documentary features interviews with survivors who lived through the Nazi occupation of their home city.”
“Historians continue to debate the socio-economic factors that allowed Nazi ideology to permeate the mainstream political discourse of the Weimar Republic.”
Examples
simple
“The history book explains how the Nazi party rose to power.”
contextual
“The documentary features interviews with survivors who lived through the Nazi occupation of their home city.”
complex
“Historians continue to debate the socio-economic factors that allowed Nazi ideology to permeate the mainstream political discourse of the Weimar Republic.”
Usage
When referring to the historical political party or its members, the word is always capitalized.
Real-World Examples
“More than 100,000 artifacts stolen by Nazis have never been returned to their owners.” “The vendors, which include longtime dealers of military collectibles and Nazi objects, claimed to be selling the items for “educational” or “research purposes”.” Etymology
1930, from German Nazi, a clipping of Nationalsozialist (“National Socialist”) (1924), earlier attestation (1903) as shortening of national-sozial), since in German the nati- in national /ˌnatsi̯oˈnaːl/ is approximately pronounced Nazi [ˈnäːtsi]; compare the parallel pejorative terms Sozi (“socialist, social democrat”), Kozi (“commie, commo, communist”). A homonymic term Nazi was in use before the rise of the NSDAP in Bavaria as a pet name for Ignaz and (by extension from that) a derogatory word for a backwards peasant, which may have influenced the use of that abbreviation by the Nazis' opponents and its avoidance by the Nazis themselves.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
01. grammar Nazi
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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