territorial
territorials
If your dog barks whenever someone walks through your yard, it might be because she's territorial, or inclined to protect her territory from trespassers.
A person — or an animal — who guards or defends the area she considers to belong to her is territorial. You can also use the adjective to describe anything relating to the territory itself. For example, territorial boundaries are invisible lines that mark the division between one country, or territory, and another. The Latin root, territorium, "land around a town," comes from terra, "earth or land."
Definitions of territorial
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of or relating to a territory“the territorial government of the Virgin Islands”“territorial claims made by a country”
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belonging to the territory of any state or ruler“territorial rights”
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Synonyms:
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jurisdictional
restricted to the geographic area under a particular jurisdiction
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regional
related or limited to a particular region
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sectional
related or limited to a distinct region or subdivision of a territory or community or group of people
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Antonyms:
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exterritorial, extraterritorial
outside territorial limits or jurisdiction
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jurisdictional
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displaying territoriality; defending a territory from intruders“territorial behavior”“strongly territorial birds”
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Antonyms:
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nonterritorial
not displaying territoriality
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nonterritorial
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nonprofessional soldier member of a territorial military unit
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type of:
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soldier
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
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soldier
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a territorial military unit
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synonyms:
territorial reserve
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types:
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National Guard, home reserve
United States military reserves recruited by the states and equipped by the federal government; subject to call by either
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Territorial Army
British unit of nonprofessional soldiers organized for the defense of Great Britain
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ANG, Air National Guard
a civilian reserve component of the United States Air Force that provides prompt mobilization during war and assistance during national emergencies
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ARNG, Army National Guard
a civilian reserve component of the United States Army comprised of guardsmen who serve during overseas peacekeeping missions and during local emergencies
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type of:
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guard
a military unit serving to protect some place or person
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘territorial'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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