FEDERAL Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

federal 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of federal

as in national

of or relating to a federation or to its central government A federal system of government distributes power between a country's central and regional governments. The President, Congress, and the Supreme Court are all part of the federal government of the United States.

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Dissimilar Words

Federal

2 of 2

noun

as in fed

Related Words

as in Confederate

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

civilian

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of federal

Adjective

Although some states have voluntarily handed over voter rolls to the federal government, many others have challenged demands in court and won. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 If federal funding in essential areas such as cancer treatment or cybersecurity is eliminated, years of careful research will be lost, as will future students who will go elsewhere — a deficit that would take decades to overcome. — Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026 Stonepeak owns Omni Air International, a charter airline that conducts long-haul deportation flights for the federal government. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026 Best appeared in court Thursday accompanied by his attorney, federal public defender Shea Lynn Watts, to hear whether his plea was accepted and what his sentence would be, according to court records. — Arkansas Online, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for federal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for federal

Adjective

The results have shown — from 5-7 and missing a bowl game in 2022 to 7-6 in 2023 to 10-3 in 2024 but collapsing at the end to 13-3 and a run to the national championship last season.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
Meanwhile, Burberry unveiled a hyper-British, globally resonant campaign, A Good Sport, leaning on a cast of national and international names.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 16 July 2026

Definition of national

Noun

Now the G-men head down there to collar Massachusetts cops — sheriffs and crooked state troopers.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2025
Exactly what will happen to DC’s most polarizing building after the G-men move out is still not clear, although President Trump has suggested the FBI will eventually return.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 19 July 2025

Definition of G-man

Noun

James Jarvaise was a California modernist, born in 1924 in the Midwest, served in the US Army, went to art school on the GI Bill, and is really the first generation of professional art teachers in America.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 8 July 2026
Most side effects reported with magnesium are gastrointestinal (GI), including nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.

— Kirstyn Hill, Health, 1 July 2026

Definition of GI

Adjective

This work to address data center load variability comes at a time of mounting public and governmental pressure.

— Drew Robb, IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026
Records obtained by the Star-Telegram show governmental agencies in the state will fight to withhold information that has been deemed public, raising questions about transparency while taxpayers shoulder litigation costs.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Definition of governmental

Noun

The team's 33-15 loss gave it a 2-11 record, which is the worst nark in the NFC.

— Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The software, which would effectively act like a narc embedded on people’s iPhones, could have unintended consequences, critics said, despite Apple’s assurances that it would be used solely to stop child predators.

— Declan Harty, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2021

Definition of narc

Noun

This imaging test uses a tracer that attaches to PSMA proteins, allowing doctors to identify where prostate cancer cells may be located throughout the body.

— Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 15 June 2026
Many health care workers served longer, harder deployments than mine — Sierra Leonean nurses, Guinean contact tracers, Liberian community health workers — and carried equal or greater burdens, yet Americans rarely heard their stories.

— Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 20 May 2026

Definition of tracer

Noun

Less than a month later, plainclothesmen arrested Nassar at a local tire store, and Munford took him into custody.

— Jason Schmidt, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2018
Hustling bucks and ducking the Third Division boys, those earnest young plainclothesmen assigned to the vice squad who work out of the 17th Precinct on the East Side.

— Gail Sheehy, Daily Intelligencer, 9 Sep. 2017

Definition of plainclothesman

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Style

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federal. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of federal

adjective

noun

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