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

Arizona, which will experience the biggest cuts, has previously made noises about opting for a legal route and authorities have criticized federal plans for the river. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 Some of these changes were blocked by a federal judge in March. — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 The state said the drop was driven largely by the state’s own struggles putting new federal requirements in place. — Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 The new federal guidelines are not without controversy, however. — Linda M. Boland, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for federal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for federal

Adjective

The case attracted national attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
If completed, the sale would shore up Spain's leadership in a strategic sector by creating a new olive oil giant that would encompass a range of brands and secure a roughly 15% share of national consumption.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of national

Noun

No one was giving the G-men an iota of a chance, but thanks to a brilliant game by New York's front four, the Patriots were clinging to just a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2026
Jessica Hecht, playing one of the hostages, adds her typically off-beat depth, and I was most amused by John Ortiz as the FBI agent with the standard G-man voice and personality to match.

— Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of G-man

Noun

But after certain gut infections, once the most intense symptoms have resolved, GI troubles can linger, turning into chronic bowel issues and pain.

— Erica Sloan, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026
He was drafted at 18 and, after the war, pursued singing at the American Theatre Wing—an education funded by the GI Bill.

— Eleni N. Gage, Architectural Digest, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of GI

Adjective

At the same time, young Spaniards are leaving the country's more remote regions to pursue education and corporate jobs in major cities, leaving 42% of the country’s 8,000 villages at risk of total depopulation, according to governmental projections.

— Liz Provencher, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
The family is planning to sue the United States and other governmental and nongovernmental entities in connection to Daphy's death.

— Finch Walker, USA Today, 20 Aug. 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 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of federal

adjective

noun

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