natural language

noun

plural natural languages

1

: a language (such as English, Spanish, or Samoan) that is the native speech of a people

In its pure meaning, a natural language is a spoken language, such as English or German.

—Robert A. Edmunds

In a natural language like English or French, asserting some proposition puts you at risk of being right or wrong.

—Jared Woodard

2

: the language of ordinary speaking and writing

—often used before another noun

This framework will enable developers to integrate A.I. models into their apps, facilitating capabilities such as image generation, text creation and natural language search.

—Victor Dey

… uses artificial intelligence to understand and respond to natural language queries.

—Isaiah Murtaugh

see also:

natural language processing

Examples of natural language in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Employees can ask questions in natural language and receive answers drawn from policies, procedures, reports and operational data. — Muhammad Affan Habib, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Now that using the tech is based on natural language, context, intent, and critical thinking, humanities majors who have mastered those skills will be more valuable. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026

This first version will contain the Supply Chain Intelligence functionality, allowing suppliers to query supplier, facility, product and material-level data in natural language to instantly receive a risk report. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

While designed for license plate searches, Flock's powerful AI system also offers natural language search capabilities, allowing officers enter search terms related to things like bumper stickers, car type, color and damage. — Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for natural language

• interlanguage
• metalanguage