natural number
noun
1
: the number 1 or any number (such as 3, 12, 432) obtained by adding 1 to it one or more times : a positive integer
2
: any of the positive integers together with 0 : a nonnegative integer
Examples of natural number in a Sentence
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At the time that Russell presented his antinomy, a set generally referred to a collection of things: The natural numbers, for example, form a set, as does the set of all inhabitants that do not shave themselves.
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Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2024
Just as molecules are composed of atoms, in math, every natural number can be broken down into its prime factors—those that are divisible only by themselves and 1.
—Byzack Savitsky, science.org, 29 July 2024
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Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 15 Aug. 2024
Just as molecules are composed of atoms, in math, every natural number can be broken down into its prime factors—those that are divisible only by themselves and 1.
—Byzack Savitsky, science.org, 29 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Natural number.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural%20number. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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