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.

Related Words

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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

Under the new guidance, ATF will no longer require registration unless the buyer lives in one of about 15 states that have state laws requiring that people go through the federal permitting process. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 Surely most people would prefer to see big cuts to federal agencies made with thoughtfulness and care? — Sheelah Kolhatkar, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026 Jamie Courville and her husband, Chris Reynolds, moved to Gowanus in 2009, a year before the canal was designated a Superfund site and the federal clean-up process kicked off. — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026 New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Belgal was pulling into a parking space when a federal officer in plainclothes approached with his gun drawn, followed by another federal officer who also wasn’t in uniform. — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for federal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for federal

Adjective

But national Democrats have been eying the race for months due to the state’s large Black population, and Obama’s ad is a clear effort to juice turnout.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
It was put on by a company called Candle House, which, though little-known as of yet in the theatrical mainstream, has enough of a cult national reputation that nearly all of the 76 shows sold out pretty much just on word of mouth, at $247 a pop.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of national

Noun

Watermelon has a high glycemic index (GI) but a low glycemic load (GL), while papaya has a medium GI and a low GL, making both suitable for people monitoring blood sugar.

— Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 25 Sep. 2026
Boston Children's was also top-ranked in the area of neonatology, pediatric gastroenterology & GI Surgery, pediatric nephrology, pediatric neurology & neurosurgery, pediatric pulmonology & lung surgery and pediatric urology.

— Neal Riley, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of GI

Adjective

Exhibitors include first responder agencies and non-governmental organizations that showcase new technologies, offer recruitment opportunities, and demonstrate local preparedness and disaster response capabilities.

— CBS News, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
His case was also shared with the local district attorney, who has the authority to prosecute misuse of confidential governmental data, but the district attorney declined to pursue criminal charges, the audit said.

— Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of governmental

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

Noun

In the most extreme, low-probability scenarios, at the very tip of the long tail, the calculated death toll was huge, in the tens of millions.

— Kevin Roose, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026
Working hard to be horrible and beautiful at once, Vahl’s debut is a stark, memorable vision of right-wing terror ultimately eating its own tail.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of tail

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Style

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federal. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of federal

adjective

noun

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