national

[ nash-uh-nl, nash-nuhl ]
See synonyms for: nationalnationalsnationally on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or maintained by a nation as an organized whole or independent political unit: national affairs.

  2. owned, preserved, or maintained by the federal government: a national wildlife refuge.

  1. peculiar or common to the whole people of a country: national customs.

  2. devoted to one's own nation, its interests, etc.; patriotic: to stir up national pride.

  3. concerning or encompassing an entire nation: a national radio network.

  4. limited to one nation.

noun
  1. a citizen or subject of a particular nation who is entitled to its protection: U.S. nationals living abroad.

  2. Often nationals. a national competition, tournament, or the like: We're invited to Minneapolis for the nationals.

  1. a national company or organization.

Origin of national

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; nation + -al1

Other words from national

  • na·tion·al·ly, adverb
  • an·ti·na·tion·al, adjective
  • an·ti·na·tion·al·ly, adverb
  • non·na·tion·al, adjective, noun
  • non·na·tion·al·ly, adverb
  • pre·na·tion·al, adjective
  • pro·na·tion·al, adjective
  • pseu·do·na·tion·al, adjective
  • pseu·do·na·tion·al·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-na·tion·al, adjective
  • qua·si-na·tion·al·ly, adverb
  • sub·na·tion·al, adjective
  • un·na·tion·al, adjective
  • un·na·tion·al·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with national

Words Nearby national

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use national in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for national (1 of 2)

national

/ (ˈnæʃənəl) /


adjective
  1. of, involving, or relating to a nation as a whole

  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular nation: the national dress of Poland

  1. rare nationalistic or patriotic

noun
  1. a citizen or subject

  2. a national newspaper

Derived forms of national

  • nationally, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for National (2 of 2)

National

/ (ˈnæʃənəl) /


noun
  1. the National short for the Grand National

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012