native

adjective

na·tive | \ˈnā-tiv

Definition of native

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : inborn, innate native talents

2 : belonging to a particular place by birth a native New Yorker

3 archaic : closely related

4 : belonging to or associated with one by birth hailed in his native Sweden as an influential dramatist— William Peden

5 : natural, normal a generosity that was native to him

6a : grown, produced, or originating in a particular place or in the vicinity : local native fruits and vegetables

b : living or growing naturally in a particular region : indigenous native wildlife of Australia

7 : simple, unaffected our feeling still native and entire, unsophisticated by pedantry— Edmund Burke

8a : constituting the original substance or source the way I must return to native dust— John Milton

b : found in nature especially in an unadulterated form mining native silver

9 chiefly Australia : having a usually superficial (see superficial sense 2) resemblance to a specified English plant or animal

10 capitalized : of, relating to, or being a member of an indigenous people of North or South America : native american

native

noun

Definition of native (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : one born or reared in a particular place

2a : an original or indigenous inhabitant

b : something indigenous to a particular locality

3 : a local resident especially : a person who has always lived in a place as distinguished from a visitor or a temporary resident

Other Words from native Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about native

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Choose the Right Synonym for native

Adjective

native, indigenous, endemic, aboriginal mean belonging to a locality. native implies birth or origin in a place or region and may suggest compatibility with it. native tribal customs indigenous applies to that which is not only native but which, as far as can be determined, has never been introduced or brought from elsewhere. indigenous plants endemic implies being peculiar to a region. a disease endemic in Africa aboriginal implies having no known others preceding in occupancy of a particular region. the aboriginal peoples of Australia

Examples of native in a Sentence

Adjective

people who are native to France She has a native ability to learn quickly. The island is home to several native species of trees.

Noun

She's a native of France who moved to the United States when she was 15. He wishes he could speak Spanish like a native. The plant is a native of Central and South America.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Set in a field of native grasses and wildflowers and surrounded by the Bridger Teton National Forest, the 6,407-square-foot home was designed by Carney Logan Burke to blend into its natural surroundings. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Mod mountain retreat asks $11.9M," 9 Nov. 2018 Mountain goats aren't a native species in the park. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Mountain Goats Are Being Airlifted Out of a National Park Because They Crave Human Pee," 28 Sep. 2018 Shaik spoke to Fox News about leaving her native Australia for New York City at age 17, coping with discrimination and why she’s not fazed by temptation. — Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, "Victoria's Secret model Shanina Shaik recalls being bullied over her looks: 'I wasn't in a good place'," 25 Sep. 2018 In many areas of the globe, native species have been wiped out of large areas of their range even though some habitats that could support them were left intact or later restored. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Transplanted mammals take a century to learn to “surf the green wave”," 7 Sep. 2018 Already, cats in New Zealand have killed off nine native species of birds and are endangering 33 more. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "New Zealand town suggests banning cats to save native birds," 31 Aug. 2018 And few things are as bad for an island as invasive rats, which show up and devour everything in their path—including the eggs and chicks of native bird species, which haven’t learned to contend with mammalian predators. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "Rats! Coral Reefs Aren't Getting the Bird Poop They Need," 11 July 2018 Brabham has followed suit, competing in the Indianapolis 500 two years ago and being part of this year’s winning team of the Bathurst 12 Hour in his native Australia. — Drew Davison, star-telegram, "Tired of watching cars go in circles? Stadium SUPER trucks break that racing mold," 8 June 2018 Forcibly removed from their homes and disconnected from their families, they were educated only in English, forbidden to speak their native language, and converted to Christianity. — Rory Taylor, Teen Vogue, "The Current Border Crisis Feels All Too Familiar for Indigenous Peoples in the United States," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Allen was a Seattle native and went to high school with Gates. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Paul Allen—Microsoft co-founder, Seahawks owner, and space pioneer—dies at 65," 16 Oct. 2018 Arnold is a Tacoma native and earned his degree in sports management from Washington State University. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks announce Peter McLoughlin out as team president, replaced by Chuck Arnold," 24 Sep. 2018 Roush, a Covington, Kentucky native and Berea College alumnus, has spent more than 30 years competing in NASCAR’s top series and counts eight championships and 325 wins among his stable of race teams. — Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati.com, "Legendary NASCAR team owner Jack Roush hoping to cross Kentucky Speedway off bucket list," 11 July 2018 Wilfred Lawson was a Washington native and Dunbar High graduate who went on to serve in World War I and study agriculture in college. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "Remembering a time when Montgomery County was dairy — very dairy, indeed," 10 July 2018 The band’s original guitarist, Joe Sell, was a Naperville native and died in 2012. — Staff Report, Naperville Sun, "Cheap Trick to headline Last Fling on Sept. 2," 9 July 2018 Coral Springs native and American Heritage-Plantation graduate Shaun Anderson will also play in the Futures Game, but for Team USA. — Matthew Defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Marlins prospect Jorge Guzman, acquired in Giancarlo Stanton trade, to play in Futures Game," 6 July 2018 The Soldotna native and Boise State standout won the junior girls' race six times, is the defending women's champion and boasts the 2nd (49:19) and 3rd fastest (50:28) times in women's race history. — Anchorage Daily News, "Who will win Wednesday’s Mount Marathon races? Take your pick," 4 July 2018 And the local flavor was further enhanced when Carrington, a Medford native and Berklee professor, dedicated the set’s final number to Pastor Kirk Jones of the Zion Baptist Church in Lynn. — Bill Beuttler, BostonGlobe.com, "A lot of love in the air as the TEN Trio grooves at Scullers," 1 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'native.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.