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

Did you know?

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

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 10 Mar. 2025.

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