1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

born

adjective

ˈbȯrn How to pronounce born (audio)
Definition of bornnext
1
as in congenital
being such from birth or by nature a born artist and largely self-taught, John Singleton Copley was producing accomplished portraits by the time he was in his late teens

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in indigenous
belonging to a particular place by birth or origin a born Texan and very proud of it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of born Some team members, like Gregory and Chris, both 13 years old and born days apart, have been playing together since the age of 6 or 7. — Melanie Grayce West, WSJ, 21 Aug. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for born
  1. congenital
  2. indigenous
  3. natural
  4. native
  5. chronic
  6. aboriginal
Adjective
  • Blood tests later pointed to congenital short bowel syndrome, a rare disorder that prevented Obelix from digesting food and led to prolonged hospital care.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This can lead to numerous health problems, including low blood sugar, fragile bones, traumatic injuries, congenital heart, airway and eye problems and even hydrocephalus, where excess fluid puts pressure on their brain.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of congenital
Adjective
  • Least Heat-Moon is part-indigenous, and his sensitive awareness of race, class, and historical inequalities enriches his anthropological, but poetic style.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Macro launched in 2015 as a multiplatform company with a mission to represent the voice and perspectives of Black people, indigenous people and people of color.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of indigenous
Adjective
  • Inspired by this natural technique, the development tackles a fundamental challenge in aerial robotics.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • When men receive testosterone externally, the body typically reduces — or even stops — its natural sperm production.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of natural
Adjective
  • In Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, evil is a native sickness that contaminates an otherwise perfect, unsullied child of empire.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Integrators who fail to capture this recurring subscription layer may risk losing clients to IT-native MSPs.
    — Robert Messer, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of native
Adjective
  • The Justice Department had sought no fewer than 80 years in prison, while Alsheikh requested five years, citing his age and his chronic medical conditions.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The painting is dedicated to Leo Eloesser, a San Francisco Bay Area physician who helped Kahlo with her chronic pain.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of chronic
Adjective
  • The injuries themselves aren’t too surprising; wild dingoes hunt kangaroos, and Aboriginal hunters worked with dingoes the same way people in other parts of the world have hunted with dogs for millennia.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
  • Australian aboriginal peoples, meanwhile, saw a great boomerang in the stellar formation, while the Native American Shawnee tribe envisioned dancing star maidens.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 May 2026
Definition of aboriginal

Browse Nearby Words

boringly
born
borne
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Born.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/born. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All