variants also indigen
Definition of indigenenext
as in aborigine
a member of the first people to inhabit a region the indigenes had not merely adapted to the harsh climate, but had in fact prospered in it

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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 indigene Many of the indigenes believe that their perpetual sadness is the root cause of disease and death among them. — Scientific American, 25 Mar. 2020 No doubt the Tainos, the indigenes at the time of European encounter, have plenty to smoke about, if there are any left alive. — Peter Lewis, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2017 Flexible intuitions of Euclidean geometry in an Amazonian indigene group. — Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indigene
Noun
  • Breuil based his conclusions on contemporary anthropological observations of the Arunta aborigines in central Australia.
    — Roger Lewin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
  • For long, appropriation of identities and assets by the privileged has been among the key challenges faced by aborigines across the world.
    — K A Shaji, Quartz India, 30 Aug. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Indigene.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indigene. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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