national

[nash-uh-nl, nash-nuh l]

See more synonyms for national on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or maintained by a nation as an organized whole or independent political unit: national affairs.
owned, preserved, or maintained by the federal government: a national wildlife refuge.
peculiar or common to the whole people of a country: national customs.

devoted to one's own nation, its interests, etc.; patriotic: to stir up national pride.
nationalist.
concerning or encompassing an entire nation: a national radio network.
limited to one nation.

noun

a citizen or subject of a particular nation who is entitled to its protection: U.S. nationals living abroad.
Often nationals. a national competition, tournament, or the like: We're invited to Minneapolis for the nationals.
a national company or organization.

Origin of national

First recorded in 1590–1600; nation + -al¹

Related formsna·tion·al·ly, adverban·ti·na·tion·al, adjectivean·ti·na·tion·al·ly, adverbnon·na·tion·al, adjective, nounnon·na·tion·al·ly, adverbpre·na·tion·al, adjectivepro·na·tion·al, adjectivepseu·do·na·tion·al, adjectivepseu·do·na·tion·al·ly, adverbqua·si-na·tion·al, adjectivequa·si-na·tion·al·ly, adverbsub·na·tion·al, adjectiveun·na·tion·al, adjectiveun·na·tion·al·ly, adverb

Can be confusedfederal national

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for nationally

nationwide, publicly, governmentally, politically, commonly, entirely, generally, universally

Examples from the Web for nationally

Contemporary Examples of nationally

Nationally, the number of Americans concerned that Ebola will shoot through the population is skyrocketing.
Apocalypse Now: Preppers Are Gearing Up for Ebola
Nina Strochlic
October 17, 2014
The Daily Beast found out with the help of nationally ranked competitive eater Eric ‘Badlands’ Booker.
Video: We Took a Competitive Eater to TGI Fridays for Endless Appetizers—and They Ran Out
Brandy Zadrozny
July 17, 2014
Nationally, Ashford University has received $110 million to educate Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the last five years.
‘Degree Mills’ Are Exploiting Veterans and Making Millions Off the GI Bill
Aaron Glantz
June 28, 2014
Nationally, the University of Phoenix received nearly $1 billion from the new GI Bill over the last five years.
‘Degree Mills’ Are Exploiting Veterans and Making Millions Off the GI Bill
Aaron Glantz
June 28, 2014
Democrats nationally were already gloating about the results on Tuesday night.
How Eric Cantor Sabotaged Himself
Ben Jacobs, Tim Mak
June 11, 2014

Historical Examples of nationally

Nationally, the Poles felt that from their point of view there was nothing to hope from it.
Notes on Life and Letters
Joseph Conrad
Personally and nationally there are no duplicates in the social scheme.
Child and Country
Will Levington Comfort
Nationally for several generations we have enjoyed freedom; but let us beware.
The Parables of Our Lord
William Arnot
The Bulgar wanted the Macedonian to be one with him nationally, as he is racially.
The Iron Ration
George Abel Schreiner
Manufacturing and selling, nationally speaking, were up to the average.
The Railroad Problem
Edward Hungerford

British Dictionary definitions for nationally

national

adjective

of, involving, or relating to a nation as a whole
of, relating to, or characteristic of a particular nationthe national dress of Poland
rare nationalistic or patriotic

noun

a citizen or subject
a national newspaper

Derived Formsnationally, adverb

National

noun

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

Word Origin and History for nationally

national

adj.

1590s, from Middle French national (from Old French nation), and also from nation + -al (1). As a noun, "citizen of a (particular) nation," from 1887. National anthem first recorded 1819, in Shelley. Related: Nationally.