Governmental describes anything related to or involving government. A governmental agency is an organization run by the government, like the National Park Service or the Department of Education. Governmental policies are the rules and decisions made by elected officials and government workers.

The word helps us distinguish between what government does and what private citizens or businesses do. A public school is a governmental institution because it's run by the government and funded by taxes. A private school isn't governmental because it operates independently. When newspapers report on governmental affairs, they're covering what's happening in city halls, state capitals, and Washington, D.C.

You'll often see this word in social studies when learning how societies organize themselves. Governmental power means the authority government has to make and enforce laws. Governmental spending refers to how government uses tax money to build roads, fund schools, and provide services.

When someone talks about non-governmental organizations (NGOs), they mean groups like the Red Cross that help people but aren't run by any government.