How do you abbreviate international? The word international has a few common abbreviations.
The most common abbreviations for international are,
- Int.
- Intl.
- Int’l.
Generally speaking, abbreviations such as intl. will not appear in prose or similarly written texts. They are reserved for titles, headlines, shorthand notes, or other areas where space is a concern.
What Does International Mean?
Definition of International: International is an adjective that is defined as existing, occurring, or carried on between two or more nations.
For example,
- The new international trade deal will benefit all countries involved.
- International schools help to educate schools all across the globe.
Outside Examples of International
The nation’s economic strength and children’s health and happiness should go hand-in-hand. For this reason alone, presidential candidates’ assertions about the future of jobs, international trade, and stock market performance must be well-informed and achievable. –The Washington Post
The nation’s economic strength and children’s health and happiness should go hand-in-hand. For this reason alone, presidential candidates’ assertions about the future of jobs, international trade, and stock market performance must be well-informed and achievable. –The Washington Post- Everyone wants to return to that golden age when the American school was the crucible of upward mobility, when public education was a matter of national pride and international envy. –Newsweek
There are few different ways to abbreviation the word international. The most common of which are,
- Int.
- Intl.
- Int’l.
Contents
- 1 What Does International Mean?
- 2 Outside Examples of International
- 3 Summary: International Abbreviation
International
Adjective
There are a few ways to abbreviate the word international. The common abbreviations are listed below:
- Int.
- Intl.
- Int’l.
Such abbreviations commonly appear in headlines, shorthand notes, and titles. They may be written with all capitals and without punctuation, as well.
What Is the Meaning of the Word?
International refers to an existing relationship between countries. It can describe anything that occurs or exists between two or more countries.
According to Wikipedia, international means between nations. It’s used to refer to music, sports, politics, transportation, and more.
For example:
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international organization that brings together over 100 member states. Examples of countries under the ISO include Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
International trade refers to countries doing business together.
For example:
The international trade between the United States and Canada is expected to grow in the first quarter.
Here are some additional examples of ways that the word international can be used.
- An international dispute arose in regards to the border between the two countries.
- The United Arab Emirates established international ties with the country in order to foster peace and growth.
- The United Kingdom has the largest number of international schools, but another country has the largest number of international journals.
- I traveled from coast to coast, parallel with the international border between Canada and the United States.
- An international treaty signaled the end of World War II. It also led to the formation of the United Nations.
- International observers and the European Union were called in to assess the election in the democratic republic and share their findings with the international community.
The Definition of the Word
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, international describes something,
“involving more than one country.” You could use the word to modify a noun like team, reputation, pact, football, leader, etc.
It’s common to see the word used to describe a sporting event involving many countries. The phrase “international community” may refer to foreign nationals residing inside a country or to a broad group consisting of people and governments around the world.
Synonyms for International
- foreign
- global
- universal
- cosmopolitan
- world
- all-embracing
- ecumenical
- intercontinental
Examples of the Word in Context
“The International Ski Federation banned three cross-country skiers and a coach on Monday in a doping case resulting from police raids at last year’s world championships in Austria.”
—ESPN
“The UN Charter, in its Preamble, set an objective: ‘to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained.’”
—The United Nations
“The final acts of the conference were the unanimous acceptance by the delegates of the principle of compulsory arbitration and the stating of a number of voeux (resolutions), the first of which was the recommendation that another conference be summoned in eight years, thus establishing the concept that the best way to handle international problems was through a series of successive conferences.”
—Encyclopedia Britannica
“Nearly 20 international scholars will come together at the Stuckeman Family Building on Penn State’s University Park campus later this month to discuss how historians and scholars have processed Italy’s sustained importance for architecture and its history over the 20th century.”
—Penn State News
Examples of the Abbreviation in Context
- Intl. is a widely accepted abbreviation for the word international. However, it should not be confused with other similar abbreviations. For example, someone may use INTL to mean internal or “it’s never too late.”
- These tickets are for int’l. travel.
- There’s a Steel Manufacturing Int. factory just two blocks away.
- Some of the best vehicles on the roads are intl. brands.
- I was waiting for my friend near the int’l arrivals.
Sources:
- https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/international
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/international
- https://www.espn.com/olympics/skiing/story/_/id/28434390/international-ski-federation-bans-three-cross-country-skiers-coach-doping-case
- https://www.un.org/en/sections/what-we-do/uphold-international-law/
- https://www.britannica.com/event/Hague-Conventions
- https://news.psu.edu/story/602931/2020/01/06/public-events/stuckeman-school-host-international-italian-imprints-symposium
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Abbreviations are used commonly throughout the English language. An abbreviation is a condensed version of a word or phrase. Abbreviations can be used to save space and time, avoid repeating long words and phrases, or simply to conform to standard usage.
The word ‘international’ has five common abbreviations, including Int’l, that depending on what sector you are in, will decide which abbreviation you should use. Continue reading to learn the five most common abbreviations for ‘international’ and when and how to use them.
Definition and Etymology of International
First coined in 1780, Jeremy Bentham combined the words ‘inter’ with ‘national’ to set a new word that would define the ‘law of nations’. The word became commonplace within the English language around 1882 when the international dateline was created.
The definition of international, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is to exist, occur or carried on between two separate nations, or countries.
Abbreviations of International
There are five common abbreviations of the word international. Depending on which sector you are in, or speaking and writing about, you will decide which abbreviation you should use. While mostly used in sports and politics, it can also be used as shorthand in any type of writing. Note the differences in casing and apostrophe placement within the abbreviations.
- INT’L is used for political campaigns and letters.
- Int’l is used for students, common writing, or those who are not in a specific sector.
- Intl. can be found in military documents, especially in special forces documents.
- Int. is the most common abbreviation that will be found in sports, programming, and computing.
- INTL is used mostly for the industrial and aviation industries.
Using Abbreviations in Sentences
Abbreviations are shortened (or abbreviated) forms of words and phrases. For example, “Mister” is changed to “Mr.” Abbreviations are normally regarded as informal in writing. Of course, you’ll see them in scholarly papers (as long as you follow rule number one), but abbreviations are generally considered a colloquial form of writing. Rules for using abbreviations in written form are:
- Use parenthesis to introduce them.
- Always abbreviate professional and personal titles.
- Only abbreviate common terms.
- Latin abbreviations should use punctuation.
Examples of Using International Abbreviations in Sentences
Some examples of how and when to use abbreviations for the word international can be industry-specific or quite ambiguous. A few examples of both are:
- The U.S. Special Forces have started an Intl. campaign in Ukraine.
- She crossed the Int’l dateline this morning and now she’s a day ahead of us.
- Are you going to watch the Int. soccer game today?
- Author
- Recent Posts
Conor is the main writer here at One Minute English and was an English teacher for 10 years. He is interested in helping people with their English skills and learning about using A.I tools at work.
Let’s say you want to describe something that involves two or more nations, but you don’t have a lot of character space. How would you abbreviate the word International?
Let’s get to the bottom of that.
Different Ways to Abbreviate International
International is an unusual word in that it appears often in writing but doesn’t have an established standardized abbreviation. In other words, you might see it shortened in different ways.
The most common abbreviations for international are int., intl., and int’l (or Int., Intl., and Int’l if the abbreviation is part of a proper noun).
Examples
Rocco Sococco Int. specializes in cushy socks for athletic shoes.
Feline Friends Intl. released its new guidelines for cat diets.
Morgan said the tickets for her int’l tour are on sale.
Each of them could be valid within its particular context. So how should you decide which to use in your writing?
Considering Which Abbreviation of International to Use
Because any of the abbreviations for international could technically be considered correct, how can you choose the right one? You can apply a couple of criteria to guide your decision.
If you are referring to a well-known group, such as Amnesty International, you should follow the organization’s conventions for spelling, abbreviations, and punctuation. These will often be listed on their website or in an accompanying style guide if one is available.
If you’re not referring to a specific organization such as Amnesty International, what does your editor, teacher, or professor prefer for abbreviating international? If a preference has been stated, you can simply stay with that.
Should neither approach lead to an answer, you can decide for yourself which abbreviation you prefer. Which one looks best to you? Because all are correct, you have the room to choose.
At the same time, you should avoid inventing your own abbreviation. When writers start using their own versions such as intrl, it can only lead to more disorder of details, as well as difficulty for readers.
In sum, the ambiguity around the abbreviation of international may sometimes call upon you to make the style call. In deciding, you can choose one of the options we’ve discussed here, ensure it’s proper for the context, and then be consistent with it in your writing.
Looking for More Grammar Guidance in American English?
Here at our website you’ll find many different articles, tips, and quizzes addressing a wide spectrum of grammar questions and issues, as well as ways to become an even more effective writer. You can search for a specific topic or just look through some of our more popular posts.
If you have a question or thought about the topic on this page, leave us a message in the comments section below!
Advertisement
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the «Comment» box at the bottom of this page.
Here’s one of the most shortened words up to date. The word “INTERNATIONAL” is mostly used in sports and politics. To abbreviate a word means to shorten its length and form. It also means to compress it.
Definition of “International” — Active, known, or reaching beyond national boundaries.
How to abbreviate the word “International”
There are many different ways to abbreviate the word “International’’ but only 5 of them are used regularly.
INTL — This is used in the Aviation & Industrial Sectors.
Is the flight you’re going on INTL?
Int. — This one is used in Sports, Computing, and Programming.
The INT team of Brazil has won the world cup.
Intl. — This one is seen in the Military and Special Forces.
Do you agree that Military action that defies Intl Law is sometimes justified?
Int’l. — This is mostly used by Students when writing notes or essays.
The Int’l chess club dominated the tournament.
INT’L — It is usually written in Political letters and campaigns.
The president’s INT’L campaign has been successful.
Abbreviations like these are reserved for titles, headlines, shorthand notes. They are well-known globally and used in writing because of the length of the word.
Summary
In this day and age, we try to shorten everything from texts, sentences to words. The best way to reduce the size of a word such as “International” is the abbreviation. Abbreviations have taken over in the last 20 years, and they are everywhere. You’ll have to choose the correct one that suits your text so it still makes sense and it’s easily readable.