Revised as of
4 July 2023
I could not believe it when I ran into this word confusion. How can anyone possibly confuse ex-patriot with expatriate? Especially when the writer is English? A country renowned for the tremendous numbers of Englishmen who went abroad to seek a better fortune???
Of course, I know Americans would have no trouble knowing the difference between an ex-Patriot and an expatriate. What football team do the expatriates play for again? Whether my fellow citizens would grasp ex-patriot is another question.
A better spelling is ex-patriot which explains it all. The opposite of patriot. A former flag-waver who no longer supports his or her country. Think traitor or betrayer.
I suppose some may consider people who choose to leave their country to go work, an expatriate, in another a traitorous act. I’m not sure why, but I do try to consider the possibilities *eye roll*. However, having been an expat myself, it is a broadening experience which opened my eyes to different ways of doing things. Yes, some were better and some were more interesting while some only made me love America more. I know the experience made me a better person. It did not, however, make me an ex-patriot.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Ex-patriot | Expatriate |
|---|---|
The Tempter and the Traitor: The Treason of Arnold on the Night of 21 September 1780 is in the public domain courtesy of the New York Public Library, via Picryl. — Benedict Arnold is an ex-patriot in my book. |
Successful and Connected Business People is in the public domain is courtesy of RawPixel, via PxHere. — Various expatriates working in Bangkok. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: ex-patriots |
Adjective; Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: expatriates Third person present verb: expatriates |
| The OPPOSITE of patriot
A patriot is a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors An ex-patriot is a person who no longer supports their country |
Adjective: [Of a person] Living outside their native country
Noun:
Verb, intransitive: Verb, transitive: To withdraw oneself from residence in one’s native country To withdraw oneself from allegiance to one’s country |
| Examples: | |
| Benedict Arnold is the first ex-patriot to come to mind.
Other famous traitorous ex-patriots include Adam Yahiye Gadahn, Aldrich Ames, Iva Toguri D’Aquino, Aaron Burr, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Robert Hanssen, Nidal Malik Hasan, and John Walker, Jr (Xilebat). “The Ex-PATRIOT Act was a proposed United States federal law to raise taxes and impose entry bans on certain former citizens and departing permanent residents” (Ex-PATRIOT). |
Adjective: Many of the Lost Generation’s writers and artists were expatriates. “She delighted in the bohemian freedom enjoyed by the expatriate artists, writers, and performers living in Rome” (Janet H. Murray). The military is preparing to evacuate women and children of expatriate families. Noun: I became an expatriate when my husband and I moved to Sierra Leone to work. Expatriates include whistleblowers like Edward Snowden. Verb, intransitive: Candidates should be willing to expatriate. “Maybe some of them will try to move, expatriate, or do an inversion” (Tax). Verb, transitive: “Turkey has already expatriated some 7,600 suspected fighters over the past several years, officials in Ankara say” (Turkey). The new leaders expatriated the ruling family. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: patriotic Adverb: patriotically Noun: patriot, patriotism |
Noun: expatriation, self-expatriation |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late 16th century (in the late Latin sense) is from the French patriote, which is from the late Latin patriota, meaning fellow countryman, from the Greek patriōtēs, from patrios which means of one’s fathers, or from patris, meaning fatherland. | Mid-18th century from the medieval Latin expatriat- meaning gone out from one’s country, from the verb expatriare, which is from ex- (out) + patria (native country). |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Ex-Patriot versus Expatriate
Apple Dictionary.com
Cambridge Dictionary: expatriate
Contributor on the Tax Notes Staff. “The U.S. Influence On The OECD’s Global Tax Reform Plan.” Forbes. 18 May 2021. Web. 11 Sept 2022. <https://www.forbes.com/sites/taxnotes/2021/05/18/the-us-influence-on-the-oecds-global-tax-reform-plan/?sh=43ebe0154bcd>.
“Ex-PATRIOT Act.” Wikipedia.org. 3 Aug 2022. Web. 11 Sept 2022. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-PATRIOT_Act>.
The Free Dictionary: patriate
Merriam-Webster: expatriate
“Turkey deports Islamic State fighters.” The Economist. 28 Nov 2019. Web. 11 Sept 2022. <https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/11/28/turkey-deports-islamic-state-fighters>.
Xilebat. “Top 10 Traitors In US History.” Listverse. 4 July 2010. Web. n.d. <https://listverse.com/2010/07/04/top-10-traitors-in-us-history/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Benedict Arnold by Thomas Hart and Josephine Baker by Walery, French, 1863-1935 (http://estonia.usembassy.gov/); both are in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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