anti-Nazi

IPA/ˈantinˈɑːtsɪ/
IPA/ˈæntaɪnˈɑːtsi/

anti-Nazi — adjective

1. describing a person, group, or action that is against the political ideas, polic

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a person, group, or action that is against the political ideas, policies, and violence of the Nazi party, especially during the 1930s and 1940s in Germany and across Europe

Example

Ricardo's grandfather was part of an anti-Nazi resistance group in Berlin during the war.

anti-Nazi resistance group — typical noun-group collocation

The teacher showed the class an old anti-Nazi poster from 1942 that condemned the regime.

anti-Nazi poster — typical noun collocation

Common collocations
  • anti-Nazi resistance
  • anti-Nazi movement
  • anti-Nazi activist
  • anti-Nazi poster
  • anti-Nazi pamphlet
  • anti-Nazi propaganda
  • anti-Nazi group
  • anti-Nazi sentiment
Synonyms
  • anti-fascist

    broader in scope — refers to opposition to fascism generally, not only to the German Nazi party

  • anti-authoritarian

    wider still — describes opposition to any form of authoritarian rule, not limited to Nazi ideology

Antonyms
  • pro-Nazi

    direct opposite — supporting or sympathising with the Nazi party

  • Nazi

    the antonym as a modifier; a Nazi group is the opposite of an anti-Nazi group

Usage Note

Commonly used attributively before nouns describing people, publications, or organisations that opposed the Nazi regime. The noun form (e.g. 'the anti-Nazis') is much rarer and typically C1 level.

Common Mistakes

He is anti-nazi about many things.
He was active in anti-Nazi movements.
'anti-Nazi' is not a general term for disliking authority; it has a specific historical and political meaning tied to the Nazi party.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Anti-Nazi refers specifically to opposition to the German Nazi party under Hitler (1933–1945). Anti-fascist is broader, covering opposition to any fascist movement, including Italian Fascism, Franco's Spain, or modern far-right groups — it is more common in contemporary political discourse. Anti-authoritarian describes a general stance against all forms of rigid, top-down control, whether in government, workplaces, or families; it has no specific historical anchor. Anti-totalitarian targets regimes that control every aspect of life, including Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. A concrete example: an anti-Nazi pamphlet from 1942 is historically specific, whereas an anti-fascist speech today could target many different extremist groups.

anti-Nazi ↗anti-fascist ↗anti-authoritariananti-totalitarian

Common collocations

Nouns

  • anti-Nazi resistance
  • anti-Nazi movement
  • anti-Nazi activist
  • anti-Nazi publication
  • anti-Nazi sentiment
  • anti-Nazi propaganda

Adverbs

  • fiercely anti-Nazi
  • strongly anti-Nazi
  • openly anti-Nazi
  • staunchly anti-Nazi

Phrases

  • anti-Nazi in outlook
  • anti-Nazi by conviction

Etymology

GreekGermanEnglish

Formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') combined with 'Nazi', a shortened form of the German 'Nationalsozialist' (National Socialist). The compound 'anti-Nazi' entered English in the early 1930s, as opposition to Hitler's movement grew within Germany and among foreign observers. The hyphen is retained to mark the prefix structure and the capitalisation of the proper noun base.