native

1 of 2

adjective

na·​tive ˈnā-tiv 

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

6

a

: 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

8

a

: 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

natively adverb

nativeness noun

native

2 of 2

noun

1

: one born or reared in a particular place

2

a

: 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

Synonyms

Adjective

• aboriginal
• autochthonous
• born
• domestic
• endemic
• indigenous

Noun

• local
• localite
• townie
• towny
• year-rounder

Choose the Right Synonym for native

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.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

As a native Miamian, I am blown away by the level of culture and sophistication Miami has achieved. —Erica Wertheim Zohar, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

Replacing Jimmy Spithill on the wheels of the multimillion-dollar sailing catamaran in Dubai will be U.S. Virgin Islands native Taylor Canfield, a world champion who also resides seasonally in the sailing meccas of Miami and Newport, racing alongside his new boss Ryan McKillen. —Gw Allen, Robb Report, 29 Nov. 2023

Beyoncé, a native Houstonite, loves a cowboy moment. —Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023

Hall is now due to be buried in his native Leesburg. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2023

Over two years later, the band has announced that their five-decade run will come to an end in October 2024 with a three-night stand in their native California. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2023

Traditions founded in native ancestry are often repackaged into the latest trends– beauty rituals included. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 16 Nov. 2023

The same goes for native dogwoods, native hollies (particularly Ilex decidua, Ilex verticillata and Ilex opaca) and magnolias. —Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023

On its website, the CDC says that ALTs, native to east Asia, have spread to 19 U.S. states since they were first reported in New Jersey in 2017. —Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 15 Nov. 2023

Noun

Miller, a Texas native, played in college at Texas A&M before being selected as the second overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Broncos. —Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

Hoda Kotb Celebrates Jenna Bush Hager's Birthday with a Copy of PEOPLE: 'My Cover Girl' Throughout the visual, the duo also reps their hometown as Hager, a Texas native, sports a red cowboy hat, while Kotb accessorizes with red and green beads in an homage to New Orleans. —Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023

The Boston native also helmed A Man Called Horse (1970), which starred Richard Harris in the title role as an English aristocrat who eventually becomes the leader of the Native tribe that had captured and tortured him. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2023

Mack, a Los Angeles native who had settled in Las Vegas, rotated through a variety of assignments earlier in his Israeli military career, primarily in the West Bank, another Palestinian territory. —Alex Horton, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023

Advertisement Williams, a St. Louis native, was also happy that his performance came before multiple family members who were in town for a game that coincidentally coincided with his return. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023

Davids, a native of San Antonio, graduated from the academy in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in oceanography. —Nick Anderson The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 25 Nov. 2023

The 67-year-old Oregon native even put down a deposit on an appealing vacant storefront across the river for his business, underU4men. —Zusha Elinson, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023

Explore See latest videos, charts and news The Chicago Tribune revealed the news, noting that the Chicago area native died after a year-long battle with ampullary cancer. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English natif, from Middle French, from Latin nativus, from natus, past participle of nasci to be born — more at nation

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing native

• go native
• native-born
• native soil
• native land
• native speaker
• non-native

• go native
• native-born
• native soil
• native land
• native speaker
• non-native

Kids Definition

native

1 of 2 adjective

na·​tive ˈnāt-iv 

1

: inborn sense 1, natural

native ability

2

: born in a particular place or country

native Hawaiians

3

: belonging to one because of the place or circumstances of one's birth

my native language

4

a

: grown, produced, or having its beginning in a particular region

native art

native stone

b

: living or growing naturally in a particular region

native plants

5

: found in nature especially in a pure form : not artificially prepared

native salt

6

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

natively adverb

native

2 of 2 noun

1

: one born or raised in a particular place

a native of Milwaukee

2

: one of a people living in a place before the arrival of foreigners

3

: something native to or produced in a locality

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English natif "native," from early French natif (same meaning), from Latin nativus (same meaning), from natus, past participle of nasci "to be born" — related to innate, naive, nature

Medical Definition

native

adjective

na·​tive ˈnāt-iv 

1

: belonging to or associated with one by birth

2

: living or growing naturally in a particular region

3

a

: constituting the original substance or source

b

: found in nature especially in an unadulterated form

conversion of a native protein to a denatured protein

natively adverb