naval
Americanadjective
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of or relating to warships.
a naval battle; naval strength.
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of or relating to ships of all kinds.
naval architecture; naval engineer.
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belonging to, pertaining to, or connected with a navy.
naval affairs.
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possessing a navy.
the great naval powers.
adjective
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of, relating to, characteristic of, or having a navy
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of or relating to ships; nautical
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of naval
First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin nāvālis, equivalent to nāv(is) “ship” + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Naval means "about a navy or navies." If you are interested in naval history, you probably enjoy seeing ships used in sea battles. Naval comes from the Latin word for ship, navis. Use the adjective naval whenever you're discussing a country's fleet of ships, especially ships intended for use during wartime. You might talk about a naval officer or a naval base, where ships are kept and naval personnel live. It's easy to confuse naval with its homophone navel, the belly button.
Vocabulary lists containing naval
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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Commonly Confused Words, List 6
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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.
One scene simply makes a naval officer recite Cole’s dossier on a different boat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The Zumwalt class of naval destroyers was lauded for its “affordable and flexible design.”
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
In June, a Ukrainian naval drone exploded at the Romanian port of Constanta after drifting to Romania’s coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Months later, the sprawling naval base was formally handed over to the Philippines, which had decided to end nearly a century of American military presence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
She wasn’t sure what the mosasaurus was capable of, though she’d heard of them being used to ram warships during the naval blockades down south.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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.
