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
-
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
-
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:
That was the revelation that the national debt had reached $40 trillion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Instead, it allowed construction to continue because it found the trust unlikely to have standing, and credited the government’s warnings that a halt could create national security, engineering, and operational problems.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
"What Egypt is seeking is strategic autonomy: not breaking with Washington, not aligning completely with Beijing, but creating enough room to pursue its own national interests," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
The Saudi Arabian-flagged Sidr, which is a large crude carrier operated by the country’s national shipping company, Bahri, was struck as it was sailing east of Khasab, Oman.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 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 post of army secretary is the top civilian leader of the US Army, directing active duty troops, along with the National Guard and reserve soldiers.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
A suicide prevention bill submitted by several NGOs to the National Assembly in 2024, seeking to protect the "rights of persons with suicidal behaviour", is yet to be passed.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
The National Wildlife Federation calls the AI boom “an environmental justice crisis.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
It instead concluded that the National Trust is unlikely to have standing to ask a federal court to decide whether the project is legal at all.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
Curators at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, where all the recovered items were taken, were also captivated by the many delicate objects that Kontos and his men were able to salvage intact.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
The agency also revised its estimate of the number of missing to 3,925, of whom 592 are foreign nationals.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
More than 500 foreign tourists were among the missing in Nepal, while around 260 foreign nationals were missing in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
More than 100 Nepalese, some 49 Indians and 18 Americans are among the 261 foreign nationals missing, according to local authorities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
China's foreign ministry said on Thursday that nearly 100 Chinese nationals were among the missing in Nepal.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
The first-place teams from across the state go to Washington, D.C., for the nationals.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
