national

adjective

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na·tion·al | \ ˈnash-nəl

, ˈna-shə-nᵊl \

Definition of national

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of or relating to a nation national boundaries the national flag

2 : nationalist

3 : comprising or characteristic of a nationality his national accent was plainly audible— Elinor Wylie

4 : belonging to or maintained by the federal government the National Museum of American History

5 : of, relating to, or being a coalition (see coalition sense 2) government formed by most or all major political parties usually in a crisis

national

noun

Definition of national (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from national Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about national

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Synonyms & Antonyms for national

Synonyms: Adjective

civil,
public

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Adjective

nonnational

Antonyms: Noun

alien,
noncitizen

Choose the Right Synonym for national

Noun

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

Examples of national in a Sentence

Adjective She won the national championship last year. His test scores were higher than the national average. Doing well in the Olympics is a matter of national pride. Baseball is called America's national pastime. The game was shown on national television. Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. the National Museum of Art Noun She's a Mexican national now working in the United States. The U.S. Nationals will be held in New York City this year.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective State Department officials, foreign service officers, lawmakers and former diplomats say the push for more diversity is a national security imperative. — Nicole Gaouette, CNN, "Blinken's battle to make State Department more diverse will face steep resistance, diplomats of color say," 6 May 2021 But after Alabama emerged from the 2020 season with a perfect record and the school’s 18th national championship despite unprecedented disruptions, Saban could be rethinking some of the rigidity within his program. — Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, "Disruptive 2020 taught Nick Saban about being more flexible," 6 May 2021 The commission is led by Ely Ratner, former Vice President Joe Biden's deputy national security adviser. — Abraham Mahshie, Washington Examiner, "Austin's task force is toughest move yet on China as Biden Pentagon mulls options," 3 May 2021 People may also travel for humanitarian purposes, public health, national security or to support critical infrastructure. — New York Times, "U.S. Moves to Restrict Travel From India as Virus Infections and Deaths Surge," 30 Apr. 2021 Concerns over national security were raised following media reports that Boris Johnson's cellphone has been publicly available on the Internet for the last 15 years. — Washington Post, "Boris Johnson’s cellphone number reportedly available online for last 15 years," 30 Apr. 2021 Pottinger had run-ins with the SIA during his time in government, particularly over concerns related to the national-security threat posed by Chinese tech companies like Huawei. — Gabriel T. Rubin, WSJ, "After Census Release, a Flood of Lawsuits," 30 Apr. 2021 The Defense Department has an agency called DARPA – the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – that’s there to develop breakthroughs to enhance our national security – which led to the internet and GPS and so much more. — Tim Darnell, ajc, "READ: Full text of President Joe Biden’s first speech before Congress," 29 Apr. 2021 The Defense Department has an agency called DARPA – the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – that’s there to develop breakthroughs to enhance our national security – which led to the internet and GPS and so much more. — USA TODAY, "Read the full transcript from President Joe Biden's address to a joint session of Congress," 29 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Border Patrol said the Mexican national has been involved in the organization since 2017. — David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Border Patrol arrests suspected leader of human smuggling organization in Chula Vista," 15 Apr. 2021 Mavroulis spent hours negotiating with port authorities but was unable to persuade them to take the ill man — a Chinese national — to the hospital. — Taylor Telford, Washington Post, "Essential, invisible: Covid has 200,000 merchant sailors stuck at sea," 9 Apr. 2021 Mavroulis spent hours negotiating with port authorities but was unable to persuade them to take the ill man — a Chinese national — to the hospital. — Author: Taylor Telford, Jacob Bogage, Anchorage Daily News, "Essential, invisible: COVID has 200,000 merchant sailors stuck at sea," 9 Apr. 2021 The Guatemalan woman and her 3-year-old son, a Mexican national, survived. — Rachel Scott, ABC News, "Patrolling the Rio Grande for migrant crossings: Reporter's Notebook," 27 Mar. 2021 Clemente Avelino Pereida, a Mexican national who entered the U.S. unlawfully in the 1990s. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, "Supreme Court Expands Grounds for Mandatory Deportations," 4 Mar. 2021 Glendora police arrested a 43-year-old Mexican national for possession of drug paraphernalia. — Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, "California ICE officials say they're unable to detain reoffenders released because of the pandemic," 10 Dec. 2020 Each episode of the TLC reality show starts off as a love story between an American citizen and a foreign national. — Faith Karimi, CNN, "What '90 Day Fiance' teaches us about love -- and the US visa process," 24 Apr. 2021 However, the annual number of H-1B visas, typically the only practical way for a high-skilled foreign national to work long-term in the United States, has been exhausted every year since 2004. — Stuart Anderson, Forbes, "AI Commission: Immigrants Key To America’s Tech Competitiveness," 3 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'national.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.