variants or less commonly Anglophil
: a person who greatly admires or favors England and things English

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Even after fighting two wars against Britain, Americans continued to regard England with more fondness than perhaps any other country. For much of our history, Americans have sought to imitate the British in any number of ways—American movie stars even used to adopt British accents—and the two countries have long been close allies. But Britain isn't the only country Americans fall in love with; Francophiles (France-lovers), Germanophiles (Germany-lovers), and Italophiles (Italy-lovers) are also common. In the 19th century, Russian Slavophiles called for rejecting European culture in favor of homegrown Russian culture (Slavs being those who speak a Slavic language such as Russian or Polish). Occasionally phil- words are turned around; thus, someone who is philosemitic is a lover of Jewish culture.

Examples of Anglophile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But those who adore such Anglophile delights will similarly enjoy this 2013 favorite, which fuses his signature brand of Brit character comedy with a lightly fantastical time-travel premise, in which Domhnall Gleeson uses his familial gift of temporal flexibility to romance Rachel McAdams. Jason Bailey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 My wife has just published an article about a quarrel between Voltaire and the Italian Anglophile Giuseppe Baretti, a close friend of Samuel Johnson. Tim Parks, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025 Royal Afternoon Tea with Darren McGrady, who was the private chef for Princess Diana, brought out the Anglophile in me. Essence, 30 Oct. 2024 The luggage and leather accessories brand was founded in 1975 in Connecticut by Marley Hodgson, an American Anglophile who’d purchased a leather bag at an antiques auction. Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 15 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for Anglophile

Word History

Etymology

French, from anglo- + -phile

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Anglophile was in 1883

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Cite this Entry

“Anglophile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Anglophile. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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