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

• indigenous
• aboriginal

Noun

• resident
• inhabitant
• local

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Despite living in this new country, Kamilla is still able to speak with her son in his native language (Ukrainian) along with her two roommates, who learned the language for his sake. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2025

San José native Beau Leroux opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a shot into the upper-right corner for his fourth of the season. —Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025

Noun

The Havana native found a buyer for the pre-war SoHo abode and recently closed at the full asking price of just under $3.5 million. —India Roby, Architectural Digest, 1 July 2025

That journey for the Moore, Oklahoma, native begins at the new Wake Forest University School of Medicine — Charlotte campus, the city’s first four-year medical school. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2025

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 land
• native soil
• native speaker
• non-native

Rhymes for native

• dative
• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative

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

a

: an original or Indigenous inhabitant

b

: something indigenous to a particular locality

3

: a local resident

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