What does national mean?
National describes something connected with a nation as a political community, including its government, institutions, people, territory, and shared identity. It may indicate that something is maintained throughout an entire country, as in a national health service, or that it is a defining feature of a nation, as in national traditions. The word can also identify a person, team, or achievement as representing the nation, particularly in sport and cultural events. In political language, national usually contrasts with international: national policy concerns a country’s internal affairs, whereas international policy involves relations among states. National differs from nationality, which names the country of which someone is a citizen, and from nation, which is normally the noun for the country or political community itself. Because national is both widely understood and institutionally important, it frequently appears in expressions concerning government, security, identity, culture, and economic policy.
Relating to a nation as a political entity, its people, or its territory; characteristic of a nation; or applying throughout a nation.
"The government announced a new national policy on rural broadband."
The sense meaning nationwide is especially common in compounds such as national health, national education, and national media.
A person regarded as belonging to or representing a particular nation.
"Diplomatic officials from several countries met with the national."
This singular use is relatively uncommon in modern English; the plural form is more usual.
Usually used for citizens or representatives of a nation, especially in diplomatic or sporting contexts.
"The two nationals were granted permission to visit the border region."
The word national marks the difference between a nation’s internal affairs and relations across borders: national policy is domestic, while international policy crosses borders.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does national come from?
The adjective national developed from the noun nation with the suffix -al and is recorded in English from the early modern period. Nation came through Old French from Latin natio, a term associated with birth or origin and later used for a people or political community. The shared Latin root also connects national with related forms such as nationality and natal, although their modern meanings have developed in distinct ways.
Related word forms
How national is actually used
National is widely used in formal and informal contexts in British and American English. In sports, it commonly means representing one nation rather than a club, region, or other institution.
Easily confused with national
A nation is a country or group of people sharing a national identity, whereas national is normally an adjective relating to that country or its people.
Nationality denotes the status of being a citizen of a particular nation, while national relates broadly to a nation or its attributes.