national
adjective
of, relating to, or maintained by a nation as an organized whole or independent political unit.
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national
American
[nash-uh-nl, nash-nuhl]
/ ˈnæʃ ə nl, ˈnæʃ nəl /
adjective
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of, relating to, or maintained by a nation as an organized whole or independent political unit.
national affairs.
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owned, preserved, or maintained by the federal government.
a national wildlife refuge.
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peculiar or common to the whole people of a country.
national customs.
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devoted to one's own nation, its interests, etc.; patriotic.
to stir up national pride.
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concerning or encompassing an entire nation.
a national radio network.
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limited to one nation.
noun
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nationals
plural
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a citizen or subject of a particular nation who is entitled to its protection.
U.S. nationals living abroad.
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Often nationals. a national competition, tournament, or the like.
We're invited to Minneapolis for the nationals.
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a national company or organization.
national
1
British
/ ˈnæʃənəl /
adjective
-
of, involving, or relating to a nation as a whole
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular nation
the national dress of Poland
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rare nationalistic or patriotic
noun
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a citizen or subject
-
a national newspaper
National
2
British
/ ˈnæʃənəl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antinationaladjective
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nonnationaladjective
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prenationaladjective
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pronationaladjective
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pseudonationaladjective
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quasi-nationaladjective
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subnationaladjective
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unnationaladjective
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antinationallyadverb
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nationallyadverb
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nonnationallyadverb
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pseudonationallyadverb
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quasi-nationallyadverb
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unnationallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of national
Explanation
National is an adjective that refers to something or someone that belongs to a nation or country. Baseball is the national pastime of the United States. The word national describes anything that is common to, shared by, or represents a group of people or a place that is considered a nation, like the national anthem sung before the national pastime of baseball. National statistics provide information about a country as a whole. During times of war, the national mood is usually tense and sad. A national is also a citizen of a nation. You might be called an “American national” if you are an American living in Paris.
Vocabulary lists containing national
Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 1
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 2
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American Naturalization Test, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
NHS England's national medical director, Professor Frankie Swords, warned that despite the progress delivered by frontline teams, winter pressure was already building.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“He is the greatest goal scorer in the world,” Norway national team coach Ståle Solbakken said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
This comes as uncertainty around inflation and the U.S. deficit remain elevated, and the U.S. needs help financing its $40 trillion national debt.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
His Pakatan Harapan coalition has suffered setbacks in recent state elections in the runup to regional and national polls, which must be held by February 2028.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
A second later I realized with a shiver down my spine that I was meeting the national group.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The collision on the narrow two-lane highway ignited a fire that engulfed the 17-passenger mid-sized commercial shuttle bus, which had a 50-year-old driver and five passengers onboard, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Mel Merritt, of the National Autistic Society, said the report shows that successive governments "have failed autistic people".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Not that many people want coffee table art books,” said Margit Novack, founding president of the National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers, a professional group helping older adults organize, declutter, downsize and relocate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
One in three Americans with health insurance has medical debt, and as of 2024, 21 percent of all medical debt was overdue, according to the National Institutes of Health.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
Before Akira could think about getting more nervous, a girl’s voice boomed out through the loudspeakers, across the National Mall.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
"It's reported that there were clashes between foreign nationals in the area and South African nationals," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
One of the children was a Dutch national and the other two were confirmed to be French nationals from the eastern region of Haute-Savoie.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
His spokeswoman said on his trip "the agenda will include discussions on the voluntary, dignified and safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals currently in Malaysia".
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals were onboard.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Jayme and Taylor teamed up and won the state history day contest in 2009, and took ninth place in nationals for a project on Joe Hill, a labor activist.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
