governmental

UK: /ˌgʌvə^rnˈmɛnt^əl/, /ˌgʌvə^rˈmɛnt^əl/

US: /ˌgʌvɚnˈmɛntəl, ˌgʌvɚ-/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

gov•ern•ment /ˈgʌvɚnmənt, -ɚmənt/   n. 

1. Government [uncountable] the political system by which direction and control over the actions of the members or citizens of a community, society, state, etc., is exercised; the direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.
2. Government [countable* usually singular;
   the + ~] the governing body of persons in a state, community, etc. or a branch of this body.
3. Government [countable] (in some parliamentary systems, as that of the United Kingdom)
   • the particular group of persons forming the cabinet at any given time:
     The Prime Minister has formed a new government.
   • the parliament along with the cabinet.
4. [uncountable] direction;
   control;
   management;
   rule.

gov•ern•men•tal /ˌgʌvɚnˈmɛntəl, ˌgʌvɚ-/  adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

gov•ern•ment  (guv′ərn mənt, -ər mənt), n. 

1. Government the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.;
   political administration:
   Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society.
2. Government the form or system of rule by which a state, community, etc., is governed: monarchical government;
   episcopal government.
3. Government the governing body of persons in a state, community, etc.;
   administration.
4. Government a branch or service of the supreme authority of a state or nation, taken as representing the whole:
   a dam built by the government.
5. Government (in some parliamentary systems, as that of the United Kingdom)
   • the particular group of persons forming the cabinet at any given time: The Prime Minister has formed a new government.
   • the parliament along with the cabinet:
     The government has fallen.
6. direction;
   control;
   management;
   rule:
   the government of one's conduct.
7. Government a district governed;
   province.
8. Government See political science. 
9. Grammar the extablished usage that requires that one word in a sentence should cause another to be of a particular form:
   the government of the verb by its subject.

• Old French governement. See govern, -ment
• Middle English 1350–1400

gov•ern•men•tal (guv′ərn men′tl, -ər men′-), adj.  gov′ern•men ′tal•ly, adv. 
Usage

See collective noun.

Pronunciation

Normal phonological processes are reflected in a variety of pronunciations for government. Most commonly, the first (n) of (guv′ərn mənt) assimilates to the immediately following (m), with the resulting identical nasal sounds coalescing to give the pronunciation (guv′ər mənt). This pronunciation is considered standard and occurs throughout the U.S. For speakers in regions where postvocalic (r) is regularly lost, as along the Eastern Seaboard and in the South, the resulting pronunciation is (guv′ə mənt) or, with loss of the medial unstressed vowel, (guv′mənt). Further assimilation, in which the labiodental (v), in anticipation of the bilabial quality of the following (m), becomes the bilabial stop (b), leads in the South Midland and Southern U.S. to the pronunciation (gub′mənt). See isn't.