national 1 of 2

adjective

ˈna-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce national (audio)
Definition of nationalnext
as in federal
of or relating to a nation played the home team's national anthem before the start of the soccer game

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

national

2 of 2

noun

as in citizen
a person who owes allegiance to a government and is protected by it recommended that foreign nationals living in the region evacuate immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word national distinct from other similar nouns?

The words citizen and subject are common synonyms of national. While all three words mean "a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state," 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

When can citizen be used instead of national?

The synonyms citizen and national are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

In what contexts can subject take the place of national?

The words subject and national can be used in similar contexts, but subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.

the king's subjects

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 national
Adjective
Some hopeful fans took to social media to post their own interpretation of the phrase, often coupled with clips of past Mexican men’s national teams. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 The pilot got written into Haiti's national Horizon 2050 electrification plan. — Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Noun
That includes children born in the United States to foreign nationals living legally in the country, or unauthorized immigrants. — Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 30 June 2026 The company said the federal government had issued export controls that required it to block access to the model by foreign nationals — a broad order that Anthropic said effectively required it to disable the model. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for national
Recent Examples of Synonyms for national
  1. federal
  2. citizen
  3. civil
  4. internal
  5. municipal
  6. public
  7. government
Adjective
  • Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who voted against the proposal in mid-June, voiced fears that the list of noncitizen voters would immediately be seized by federal immigration authorities.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • The people ended up burning down the house of one of the tax collectors, prompting President George Washington to raise the first federal army against them and quickly quell the revolt.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of federal
Noun
  • Kaskaskia’s dwindling number of citizens moved inland, to the center of the island.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • To the extent that their fellow-citizens refer to them at all, our government functionaries are perceived not as active agents of change but as inert, self-protecting obstructions.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
Definition of citizen
Adjective
  • But by the time the bicentennial rolled around, my life had played out against the backdrop of civil unrest and the Vietnam War, both spilling from our black-and-white television almost nightly.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • The higher current density reduces the overall equipment footprint by roughly two-thirds and can lower civil engineering requirements for future installations.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026
Definition of civil
Adjective
  • The outcome is bound to escalate an internal Democratic debate that has been growing since Mamdani's win in New York City.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • While some attribute layoffs to post-pandemic corrections, not solely AI, the true test is whether these leaner structures can effectively foster internal leadership development.
    — Cindy Rodriguez Constable, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of internal
Adjective
  • The Illinois International Port District, the municipal corporation that owns the port, appears to be trying to stay out of it all, though Local 150 has pushed for the termination of QSL’s lease at the port.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • And often, data centers are pulling from municipal water supplies, Anisfeld said.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of municipal
Adjective
  • At one point, Weist describes uncovering that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani maintained a fine-art photography practice while simultaneously waging a highly public censorship battle against the Brooklyn Museum.
    — Rhoda Feng, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Our real estate data comes from public records that have been registered and digitized by local county offices.
    — Bay Area Home Report, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Definition of public
Adjective
  • The oil is either sold at an auction or loaned to mostly non-government entities like refineries.
    — Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 23 June 2026
  • As the lore goes, the SCP Foundation is a non-government organization that collects and contains supernatural discoveries.
    — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 June 2026
Definition of government

Browse Nearby Words

nation
national
national guard
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Cite this Entry

“National.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/national. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on national

Nglish: Translation of national for Spanish Speakers

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