federal
adj.adj. relating to a system of government where power is shared between a central authority and smaller states or regions. You use this to describe laws or agencies that cover the whole country rather than just one local area.
adj. relating to a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units. Often used to distinguish national-level jurisdiction from state or provincial authority.
The federal government manages the country's borders.
While local police handle most crimes, federal agents investigate cases that cross state lines.
The tension between federal mandates and state autonomy remains a defining characteristic of the nation's constitutional law and political discourse.
Typically precedes the noun it modifies; frequently capitalised when referring to a specific national government.