federal

American  

[fed-er-uhl] / ˈfɛd ər əl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of a union of states under a central government distinct from the individual governments of the separate states, as in

2. of, relating to, or noting such a central government.

   federal offices.

3. (initial capital letter)

   1. of or relating to the Federalists or to the Federalist party.

   2. supporting the principles of the Federalist party.

   3. (in the Civil War) pertaining to or supporting the Union government.

   4. relating to or adhering to the support of the Constitution.

4. (initial capital letter) pertaining to or designating the styles of the decorative arts and architecture current in the U.S. from about 1780 to about 1830.

5. of or relating to a compact or a league, especially a league between nations or states.

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noun

1. an advocate of federation or federalism.

2. (initial capital letter)

   1. a Federalist.

   2. an adherent of the Union government during the Civil War; Unionist.

   3. a soldier in the Federal army.

Federal ¹ British  

/ ˈfɛdərəl /

adjective

1. 1. of or relating to the Federalist party or Federalism

   2. characteristic of or supporting the Union government during the American Civil War

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noun

1. 1. a supporter of the Union government during the American Civil War

   2. a Federalist

federal ² British  

/ ˈfɛdərəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a form of government or a country in which power is divided between one central and several regional governments

2. of or relating to a treaty between provinces, states, etc, that establishes a political unit in which power is so divided

3. of or relating to the central government of a federation

4. of or relating to any union or association of parties or groups that retain some autonomy

5. (of a university) comprised of relatively independent colleges

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noun

1. a supporter of federal union or federation

Other Word Forms

• federally adverb
• federalness noun
• nonfederal adjective
• quasi-federal adjective
• quasi-federally adverb

Etymology

Origin of federal

First recorded in 16205–30; earlier foederal, from Latin foeder- (stem of foedus ) “formal agreement, treaty, league” + -al ¹

Explanation

Federal refers to the national government. The voting age is determined by the federal government while the driving age is decided on a state by state basis. Before the Constitution was ratified, the United States was a loose confederation of states, with no real federal government. The Constitution created a stronger federal government but to this day, there is a conflict between those who want power to go to the states and those who support federal control. States don't seem to mind federal subsidies though.

Example Sentences

Mexican officials stated the deceased CIA officials were not accredited for operations, and the federal government was not informed of their activities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

One of his federal public defenders stressed that Allen was presumed innocent and said he had no prior arrests or convictions on his record.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The case went unsolved for about two decades until federal prosecutors filed charges against the three men.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

But forcing the federal government to follow its own environmental laws is about more than snails and mussels.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

Did it ever occur to her that my uncle is a federal Indian law attorney and that we’ve had plenty of conversations about #LandBack?

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• civil
• communal
• domestic
• ethnic
• governmental
• internal
• interstate
• nationwide
• public
• social