🇬🇧 Territorial meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

"Territorial" means being very protective of a place or area and not wanting others to come into it or take it. Animals can be territorial about where they live, like a dog barking when someone comes near its yard. People can be territorial too, like when you don’t want anyone sitting in “your” spot at the lunch table or touching your things in your room. It’s all about guarding your space and acting like, "This area belongs to me!"

The squirrel was so territorial about the bird feeder that the birds had to make dinner reservations.

The hamster was territorial about its wheel and gave me a dirty look when I just stared at it.

The class turtle became territorial over its rock and pushed off a plastic plant like, "No roommates!"

Our cat grew territorial about the laundry basket, so now clean clothes legally belong to him.

Many animals are territorial to survive—like tigers that patrol huge areas of jungle.

A small dog sat on the warm step, territorial and puffed up. A new pup approached; the territorial dog circled, the territorial bark rose, the territorial stance grew stronger. The pup backed off, tail low. The dog relaxed, less territorial, and watched the pup play in the sun. A child laughed nearby, and the owner smiled.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.