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• national
  national

  adjective

  of, relating to, or maintained by a nation as an organized whole or independent political unit.
• National
  National

  noun

  short for the Grand National

national

American  

[nash-uh-nl, nash-nuhl] / ˈnæʃ ə nl, ˈnæʃ nəl /

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.

3. peculiar or common to the whole people of a country.

   national customs.

4. devoted to one's own nation, its interests, etc.; patriotic.

   to stir up national pride.

5. nationalist.

6. concerning or encompassing an entire nation.

   a national radio network.

7. limited to one nation.

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noun

• nationals
  plural

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.

3. a national company or organization.

national ¹ British  

/ 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

3. rare nationalistic or patriotic

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noun

1. a citizen or subject

2. a national newspaper

National ² British  

/ ˈnæʃənəl /

noun

1. short for the Grand National

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antinational
  adjective
• nonnational
  adjective
• prenational
  adjective
• pronational
  adjective
• pseudonational
  adjective
• quasi-national
  adjective
• subnational
  adjective
• unnational
  adjective
• antinationally
  adverb
• nationally
  adverb
• nonnationally
  adverb
• pseudonationally
  adverb
• quasi-nationally
  adverb
• unnationally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nationals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of national

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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

national National nationals

Berton, the national disaster agency spokesman, said at least 914 houses on the island were severely damaged and hundreds of others to a lesser degree.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

One in four Maysville residents is living below the poverty line, and the median household income is about $39,000—less than half the national figure and nearly 40% below the state’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

But as she starts training for 2028, Truwit knows even her national record times might not be enough to get on the podium in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Police said that 22-year-old Somali national Abdifatah Yusuf Adani remains in custody and is due to face one charge of attempted murder when he appears at Staines Magistrates Court on Monday morning.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

The latest heartache for Dutchmen was an edict making it a crime to sing the “Wilhelmus,” our national anthem.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Mohsen Rezaei, who led the Revolutionary Guard during the war with Iraq in the 1980s, was named secretary of Iran’s top decision-making body, the Supreme National Security Council, where he will be Khamenei’s representative.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Early data from Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency indicates that more than 1,000 houses have been damaged, along with dozens of health facilities, schools and government offices.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The system is run by the National Payments Corporation of India, a non-profit entity, with banks and technology companies providing the consumer-facing services.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

In one of his best seasons, he won 20 games, had a 2.78 ERA and finished second in National League Cy Young award voting for the pennant-winning Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

A former Hitler Youth, Hans was now a student at the University of Munich, and he had grown deeply disillusioned with Hitler, National Socialism, and the war.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Two Palestinian families were trapped inside their homes along with five Italian nationals who were visiting one of them, according to two people besieged there who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Eleven people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly organizing hundreds of sham marriages for foreigners seeking US residency, mostly Chinese nationals, officials said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Li initially marketed his product to Chinese nationals and Hong Kong’s roughly seven million people, and later expanded under the brand Moomoo to the U.S.,

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

According to the executive order, operators in the birth tourism industry use deceptive advertising to entice foreign nationals to give birth in the US.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

She also called teachers in other high schools who had sent students to the nationals, just to get some tips on how to prepare and present.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

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