Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, political, or historical aspects. It may encompass a set of concepts closely related to nationalism, mostly civic nationalism and sometimes cultural nationalism.^{[page needed]}

An excess of patriotism is called chauvinism; another related term is jingoism.

The English word "patriot" derived from "compatriot", in the 1590s, from Middle French patriote in the 15th century. The French words compatriote and patriote originated directly from Late Latin patriota "fellow-countryman" in the 6th century. From Greek patriotes "fellow countryman", from patrios "of one's fathers", patris "fatherland". The term patriot was "applied to barbarians who were perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive and who had only a common Patris or fatherland." The original European meaning of patriots applied to anyone who was a fellow countryman regardless of the socio-economic status.

Patriotism and nationalism originally shared a similar meaning in the 19th century, but their meanings and connotations gradually diverged. The Merriam-Webster defines patriotism as "love for or devotion to one's country". In contrast, nationalism is defined as "loyalty and devotion to a nation".^{[definition needed]} Today, nationalism has gained a more negative connotation. In contrast, patriotism is used to refer to genuine pride in one's nation, recognizing both its merits and flaws. A similar distinction between the terms was also upheld by George Orwell, whose essay Notes on Nationalism, distinguished patriotism from the related concept of nationalism:

By 'patriotism' I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force upon other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality.

The notions of civic virtue and group dedication can be found in cultures globally throughout history.^{[better source needed]} For Enlightenment thinkers of 18th-century Europe, loyalty to the state was chiefly considered in contrast to loyalty to the Church. It was argued that clerics should not be allowed to teach in public schools since their patrie was heaven, so they could not inspire a love of the homeland in their students. One of the most influential proponents of this notion of patriotism was Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Enlightenment thinkers also criticized what they saw as the excess of patriotism. In 1774, Samuel Johnson published The Patriot, a critique of what he viewed as false patriotism. On the evening of 7 April 1774, he made the famous statement, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel". James Boswell, who reported this comment in his Life of Johnson, does not provide context for the quote. It has therefore been argued that Johnson was in fact attacking a false use of "patriotism" by contemporaries such as John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (the patriot-minister) and his supporters; Johnson spoke elsewhere in favor of what he considered "true" patriotism. However, there is no direct evidence to contradict the widely held belief that Johnson's famous remark was a criticism of patriotism itself.^{[citation needed]}

Many patriotic people take pride in sharing a distinct, common culture, believing it to be central to their national identity and unity. Many are devoted to preserving their traditional culture and encourage cultural assimilation by people from other cultures. However, some of the more civic forms of patriotism tend to de-emphasize ethnic culture in favor of a shared political culture.