Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French naturel, from Latin naturalis of nature, from natura nature
Date: 14th century
1: based on an inherent sense of right and wrong <natural justice> 2 a: being in accordance with or determined by nature b: having or constituting a classification based on features existing in nature 3 a (1): begotten as distinguished from adopted; also:legitimate(2): being a relation by actual consanguinity as distinguished from adoption <natural parents>b:illegitimate<a natural child> 4: having an essential relation with someone or something : following from the nature of the one in question <his guilt is a natural deduction from the evidence> 5: implanted or being as if implanted by nature : seemingly inborn <a natural talent for art> 6: of or relating to nature as an object of study and research 7: having a specified character by nature <a natural athlete> 8 a: occurring in conformity with the ordinary course of nature : not marvelous or supernatural <natural causes>b: formulated by human reason alone rather than revelation <natural religion><natural rights>c: having a normal or usual character <events followed their natural course> 9: possessing or exhibiting the higher qualities (as kindliness and affection) of human nature <a noble…brother…ever most kind and natural — Shakespeare> 10 a: growing without human care; also: not cultivated <natural prairie unbroken by the plow>b: existing in or produced by nature : not artificial <natural turf><natural curiosities>c: relating to or being natural food 11 a: being in a state of nature without spiritual enlightenment :unregenerate<natural man>b: living in or as if in a state of nature untouched by the influences of civilization and society 12 a: having a physical or real existence as contrasted with one that is spiritual, intellectual, or fictitious <a corporation is a legal but not a natural person>b: of, relating to, or operating in the physical as opposed to the spiritual world <natural laws describe phenomena of the physical universe> 13 a: closely resembling an original : true to nature b: marked by easy simplicity and freedom from artificiality, affectation, or constraint c: having a form or appearance found in nature 14 a: having neither flats nor sharps <the natural scale of C major>b: being neither sharp nor flat c: having the pitch modified by the natural sign 15: of an off-white or beige color
— nat·u·ral·ness\-nəs\noun
synonymsnatural, ingenuous, naive, unsophisticated, artless mean free from pretension or calculation. natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world <her unaffected, natural manner>. ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions <the ingenuous enthusiasm of children>. naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence <politically naive>. unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness <unsophisticated adolescents>. artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others <artless charm>.
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