supranational
adjective
su·pra·na·tion·al
ˌsü-prə-ˈnash-nəl 
-ˈna-shə-nᵊl,
-ˌprä-
: transcending national boundaries, authority, or interests
a supranational authority, regulating ocean usage—
N. H. Jacoby
N. H. JacobyExamples of supranational in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These systems were not grounded in altruism or the ideal of a supranational government.
—Michael J. Mazarr, Foreign Affairs, 6 May 2022
During the Brexit campaign, the E.U. came to represent not just a supranational monolith across the English Channel but profound distances within the U.K. itself.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The two agree on a number of economic issues and are both founding members of the supranational BRICS group of emerging markets, recently expanded to include Iran.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Brussels officials argue that Poland’s efforts to disregard EU court decisions and challenge legislation could set precedents that undermine bloc-wide rules—such as those governing the single market—and defang the supranational courts that police EU law.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2021
By contrast, ‘supranational’ institutions exist apart from individual nation-states, with powerful secretariats and binding rules.
—Martin Daunton, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
Ultimately, however, the answer to ethnic nationalism goes beyond narrow economic fixes; political elites must argue explicitly for ethnic tolerance and supranational cooperation, portraying them as matters of basic human decency and security.
—Lars-Erik Cederman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Despite the emergence of such organizations as the EU, supranational bodies are not going to replace nation-states anytime soon, because people still mostly identify with their nation, rather than with remote and unelected regional bodies.
—Lars-Erik Cederman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
When a supranational political organization sets a target of zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and a legal requirement to reduce GHG levels by 55 percent compared to 1990 volumes by the same time, the adoption of EVs becomes a useful and necessary tool in the arsenal.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Wired, 21 Jan. 2022
Michael J. Mazarr, Foreign Affairs, 6 May 2022
During the Brexit campaign, the E.U. came to represent not just a supranational monolith across the English Channel but profound distances within the U.K. itself.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
The two agree on a number of economic issues and are both founding members of the supranational BRICS group of emerging markets, recently expanded to include Iran.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Brussels officials argue that Poland’s efforts to disregard EU court decisions and challenge legislation could set precedents that undermine bloc-wide rules—such as those governing the single market—and defang the supranational courts that police EU law.
—Laurence Norman, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2021
By contrast, ‘supranational’ institutions exist apart from individual nation-states, with powerful secretariats and binding rules.
—Martin Daunton, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
Ultimately, however, the answer to ethnic nationalism goes beyond narrow economic fixes; political elites must argue explicitly for ethnic tolerance and supranational cooperation, portraying them as matters of basic human decency and security.
—Lars-Erik Cederman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Despite the emergence of such organizations as the EU, supranational bodies are not going to replace nation-states anytime soon, because people still mostly identify with their nation, rather than with remote and unelected regional bodies.
—Lars-Erik Cederman, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
When a supranational political organization sets a target of zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and a legal requirement to reduce GHG levels by 55 percent compared to 1990 volumes by the same time, the adoption of EVs becomes a useful and necessary tool in the arsenal.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Wired, 21 Jan. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supranational.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near supranational
Cite this Entry
“Supranational.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supranational. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
supranational
adjective
su·pra·na·tion·al
ˌsü-prə-ˈnash-nəl
-ən-ᵊl
: going beyond national boundaries or authority
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