nature

noun na·ture \ ˈnā-chər \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of nature

1 a : the inherent character or basic constitution (see constitution 2) of a person or thing : essence

the nature of the controversy

b : disposition, temperament

it was his nature to look after others
—F. A. Swinnerton

her romantic nature

2 a : a creative and controlling force in the universe

b : an inner force (such as instinct, appetite, desire) or the sum of such forces in an individual

3 : a kind or class usually distinguished by fundamental or essential characteristics

documents of a confidential nature

acts of a ceremonial nature

4 : the physical constitution or drives of an organism; especially : an excretory organ or function —used in phrases like the call of nature

5 : a spontaneous attitude (as of generosity)

6 : the external world in its entirety

7 a : humankind's original or natural condition

b : a simplified mode of life resembling this condition

escape from civilization and get back to nature

8 : the genetically controlled qualities of an organism

nature … modified by nurture
—E. G. Conklin

9 : natural scenery

enjoyed the beauties of nature

See nature defined for English-language learners

See nature defined for kids

Examples of nature in a Sentence

He devoted himself to the study of nature.
That is a color not found in nature.
Hunger is nature's way of telling you to eat.
Gravity is one of the basic laws of nature.
She's very competitive by nature.

Recent Examples of nature from the Web

Virtually all of these commemorations are explicitly activist in nature.

— simon balto, Time, "Commemorations in Memphis Show That How We Remember Martin Luther King Jr. Is Changing," 4 Apr. 2018
The social network seemed to believe the video was extremist in nature, not journalism about extremists.

— robinson meyer, The Atlantic, "What Motivated the YouTube Shooter?," 4 Apr. 2018
Temperatures will climb, as will snow levels as the air mass becomes more subtropical in nature.

— OregonLive.com, "Portland metro Tuesday weather: Frosty, cold start followed by a mostly cloudy afternoon," 3 Apr. 2018
The episode led advertisers to ask to be removed from Jones' YouTube channel, which has more than 2.3 million subscribers and thousands of videos, many of them conspiratorial in nature.

— justin carissimo, CBS News, "Man falsely accused in Parkland shooting suing Alex Jones, InfoWars for defamation," 2 Apr. 2018
Men seeking therapy are a minority, whether the reason for that is biological or societal in nature.

— ryan howes, SELF, "Why It's a Huge Deal When Male Athletes Like Kevin Love Talk About Therapy," 27 Mar. 2018
Images Of The Quiet Corner HAMPTON — The March show at Fletcher Memorial Library's Top Shelf Gallery show will be Images of the Quiet Corner, photographs by Hampton resident Eleanor Linkkila, who specializes in nature photography.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windham Edition," 27 Mar. 2018
Teachers are by nature rule followers for the most part, and people know that.

— vox first person, Vox, "They survived Columbine. Then came Sandy Hook. And Parkland.," 22 Mar. 2018
At the Farm at South Mountain, diners eat at the former farmhouse surrounded by nature.

— jennifer mcclellan, azcentral, "20 romantic restaurants in Phoenix for your next date night," 21 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of nature

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

nature Synonyms

Synonyms

disposition, grain, temper, temperament;

angle, attitude, mind-set, outlook, perspective, slant, standpoint, viewpoint;

emotion, feeling, heart, passion, sentiment, spirit;

strain;

belief, conviction, judgment (or judgement), mind, notion, opinion, persuasion, view;

expression, tone, vein;

character, identity, individuality, makeup, mettle, personality, selfhood, self-identity, setup;

Synonym Discussion of nature

type, kind, sort, nature, description, character mean a number of individuals thought of as a group because of a common quality or qualities. type may suggest strong and clearly marked similarity throughout the items included so that each is typical of the group.

- one of three basic body types

kind may suggest natural grouping.

- a zoo seemingly having animals of every kind

sort often suggests some disparagement.

- the sort of newspaper dealing in sensational stories

nature may imply inherent, essential resemblance rather than obvious or superficial likenesses.

- two problems of a similar nature

description implies a group marked by agreement in all details belonging to a type as described or defined.

- not all acts of that description are actually illegal

character implies a group marked by distinctive likenesses peculiar to the type.

- research on the subject so far has been of an elementary character

NATURE Defined for English Language Learners

nature

noun

Definition of nature for English Language Learners

: the physical world and everything in it (such as plants, animals, mountains, oceans, stars, etc.) that is not made by people
: the natural forces that control what happens in the world
: the way that a person or animal behaves : the character or personality of a person or animal