Dictionary
1national
adjective na·tion·al \ˈnash-nəl, ˈna-shə-nəl\
: of or relating to an entire nation or country
: owned and controlled or operated by a national government
Full Definition of NATIONAL
1
: of or relating to a nation
2
3
: comprising or characteristic of a nationality
4
: belonging to or maintained by the federal government
5
: of, relating to, or being a coalition government formed by most or all major political parties usually in a crisis
— na·tion·al·ly adverb
See national defined for English-language learners
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First Known Use of NATIONAL
1580
Related to NATIONAL
- Antonyms
- nonnational
Other Government and Politics Terms
2national
noun
: a person who is a citizen of a country
nationals : competitions in which people or teams from all areas of a country compete
Full Definition of NATIONAL
1
: one that owes allegiance to or is under the protection of a nation without regard to the more formal status of citizen or subject
2
: a competition that is national in scope —usually used in plural
See national defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of NATIONAL
1887
Related to NATIONAL
- Antonyms
- alien, noncitizen
Synonym Discussion of NATIONAL
citizen, subject, national mean a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state. citizen is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people <the rights of a free citizen>. subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch <the king's subjects>. national designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state <American nationals working in the Middle East>.
Other Government and Politics Terms
NATIONALLY Defined for Kids
1national
adjective na·tion·al \ˈna-shə-nəl\
Definition of NATIONAL for Kids
: of or relating to an entire country <a national anthem> <the national news>
— na·tion·al·ly adverb
2national
noun
Definition of NATIONAL for Kids
: a citizen of a particular country
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