autochthon

as in aborigine
a member of the first people to inhabit a region the remains of a settlement once occupied by the island's autochthons are much older than previously thought

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for autochthon
Noun
  • The Guanches were aborigines of the Canary Islands.
    JP Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
  • The bill’s sponsors insisted their motives were not racist, although, one of the sponsors, state Sen. Scott Beason, later recorded himself referring to black people as aborigines while wearing a wire for the FBI.
    Kyle Whitmire, al, 22 Nov. 2019
Noun
  • Those clauses were removed in the 1960s, leaving no mention of aboriginals at all.
    The Economist, The Economist, 5 July 2018
  • These people are too far away to show a direct link between them and the Clovis in such a way that indicates the Clovis being the aboriginals of South America.
    Adam Rutherford, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2017
Noun
  • His aspiration to be a country artist was what first brought the Texas native to Nashville, at age 19 in 1993.
    Nancy Kruh, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Former Jets head coach and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, a native of Dearborn, Michigan, directs the defense, which ranks near the middle of the pack in both rush and pass yards allowed.
    Nick Meyer, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Autochthon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autochthon. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!