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• territorial
  territorial

  adjective

  of or relating to territory or land.
• Territorial
  Territorial

  noun

  a member of a territorial army, esp the British Army's Territorial and Volunteer Reserve

territorial

American  

[ter-i-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] / ˌtɛr ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr- /

adjective

1. of or relating to territory or land.

2. of, pertaining to, associated with, or restricted to a particular territory or district; local.

3. pertaining or belonging to the territory of a state or ruler.

4. (of an animal) characterized by territoriality; defending an area against intruders, especially of the same species.

5. Often Territorial of or relating to a territory of the United States.

6. Military. Territorial, organized on a local basis for home defense.

   the British Territorial Army.

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noun

1. Territorial, a member of the British Territorial Army.

2. a soldier in a territorial army.

territorial ¹ British  

/ ˌtɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a territory or territories

2. restricted to or owned by a particular territory

   the Indian territorial waters

3. local or regional

4. pertaining to a territorial army, providing a reserve of trained men for use in emergency

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Territorial ² British  

/ ˌtɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəl /

noun

1. a member of a territorial army, esp the British Army's Territorial and Volunteer Reserve

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Other Word Forms

• nonterritorial
  adjective
• nonterritorially
  adverb
• preterritorial
  adjective
• quasi-territorial
  adjective
• quasi-territorially
  adverb
• subterritorial
  adjective
• territorially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of territorial

First recorded in 1615–25; from Late Latin territōriāli; see territory, -al ¹

Explanation

If your dog barks whenever someone walks through your yard, it might be because she's territorial, or inclined to protect her territory from trespassers. A person — or an animal — who guards or defends the area she considers to belong to her is territorial. You can also use the adjective to describe anything relating to the territory itself. For example, territorial boundaries are invisible lines that mark the division between one country, or territory, and another. The Latin root, territorium, "land around a town," comes from terra, "earth or land."

Example Sentences

"When you say to someone, 'You're from Italy', they'll say, 'No, I'm from Tuscany' or 'I'm from Florence', so they're very territorial, especially when it comes to food."

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Authorities are now investigating how the drone ended up in Greece's territorial waters and why it may have been in the Mediterranean.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Hospitals, he observes, “have exalted missions, which can obscure the fact that they’re just as full of territorial jerks as investment banks.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

"Our historical experience has taught us that delegating vital matters... to international judicial bodies has been detrimental to our sovereignty and our territorial integrity," he said.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

In 1809 Indiana’s territorial governor, William Henry Harrison, badgered and bribed a few destitute Delaware, Miami, and Potawatomi individuals to sign the Treaty of Fort Wayne.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• provincial