országos

országos is a Hungarian adjective formed from the word ország (country, nation) with the suffix -os, meaning national or nationwide. The term denotes something that pertains to or covers the whole country. It is typically placed before the noun it modifies, for example in expressions describing scope, events, or organizations.

Common uses include describing national-level activities or entities, such as országos bajnokság (national championship), országos verseny (nationwide competition), or országos program (national-scale program). It can also describe the geographic extent of actions or policies, as in országos hatókörű kezdeményezés (an initiative with nationwide reach).

Differences from related terms are subtle but important. Nemzeti usually emphasizes the nation as a political or cultural entity, whereas országos stresses geographic coverage across the country. A megyei, városi vagy helyi contrast suffices to show scope at smaller administrative levels; országos denotes the entire nation.

In translation, országos commonly corresponds to national or nationwide in English, depending on context. It is not used to describe people or national identities; instead, other terms such as nemzeti vagy állampolgári jellegű kifejezések szokásosak a személyekre vonatkozó kontextusban.

See also: nemzeti, megyei, helyi.