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
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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:
Along with some other EU nations, Hungary experienced its driest summer since records began in 1901 and its second-hottest on record, according to national weather service HungaroMet.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Diesel prices have been climbing most of the year, recently hitting a record national average retail price of $6.53 a gallon, up nearly $3 from the average a year ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Gas prices in the U.S. have soared during the seven-month Iran war, with the national average for a gallon of diesel reaching $6.37 on Friday, according to AAA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Although strength training is now included in national and international physical activity guidelines, it remains underused – and adherence to these guidelines remains poor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
In the end, a national monument was centered around the crater and Spirit Lake with arms extending both north and south.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor Danelle “DD” Harrison recalled being interviewed by The Times the first week on the job.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
She sits in front of a mirror in a dressing room at the National Operetta Theater.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The ancient stone Bessom Bridge flooded nearly 50 years ago when Wimbleball Reservoir was created at Exmoor National Park in Somerset.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The current governing coalition is made up of United List, New Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers and the National Alliance.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Citing his years of experience at sea, he presented himself at the offices of the National Antarctic Expedition in London.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Last year, federal prosecutors similarly charged two Chinese nationals living in Southern California with illegally exporting tens of millions of dollars’ worth of artificial intelligence microchips to China.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
A restaurant in South Korea named after Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been vandalised by a group of Chinese nationals who fled home right after the attack, police say.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Average viewers for CBS and MTV’s coverage of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, up 51% from last year, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day fast nationals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
"Vietnamese nationals are still the highest nationality that we see being exploited in Scotland" said Bertram.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 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.
