1
as in residents
a usually longtime resident of a locality
the natives seem to resent the summer tourists even though they depend upon them for their livelihood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aborigines
a member of the first people to inhabit a region
the anthropologist spent two years living among the island's natives and observing and documenting their customs and traditions
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 natives
The event not only drew Czech natives, but also people like Maria Wyatt, who lives a couple of minutes away from the stadium.
—
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026
One school of thought holds that high levels of immigration and a robust social safety net are incompatible; natives don’t want to share their nation’s generosity with foreigners.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Though Rob said a Yankees-Sacramento matchup would be somewhat bittersweet, there’s no doubt who the Orangevale natives would root for.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2026
The furniture project was run by Contra Costa natives, all of whom are serving life sentences inside San Quentin for serious crimes, and has inspired similar work by men from Alameda County, the group’s organizers say.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
The defendants, both natives of Azerbaijan, were convicted and sentenced to 25 years.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Some of these people were Canadian or American hockey fans, of course, but many of them were Swiss natives getting a rare glimpse of Crosby in person.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Notre Dame had four Massachusetts natives in the game in Colin Kenney (Hingham, Noble & Greenough), Jimmy Kenney (Needham), Teddy Lally (Norwell, Thayer) and Thomas Porell (Littleton, BB&N).
—Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 25 May 2026
Karki and Tiwari, who also own several liquor stores across the metro, are Nepal natives who signed a five-year lease in December.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2026
One school of thought holds that high levels of immigration and a robust social safety net are incompatible; natives don’t want to share their nation’s generosity with foreigners.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Though Rob said a Yankees-Sacramento matchup would be somewhat bittersweet, there’s no doubt who the Orangevale natives would root for.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2026
The furniture project was run by Contra Costa natives, all of whom are serving life sentences inside San Quentin for serious crimes, and has inspired similar work by men from Alameda County, the group’s organizers say.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
The defendants, both natives of Azerbaijan, were convicted and sentenced to 25 years.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Some of these people were Canadian or American hockey fans, of course, but many of them were Swiss natives getting a rare glimpse of Crosby in person.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Notre Dame had four Massachusetts natives in the game in Colin Kenney (Hingham, Noble & Greenough), Jimmy Kenney (Needham), Teddy Lally (Norwell, Thayer) and Thomas Porell (Littleton, BB&N).
—Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 25 May 2026
Karki and Tiwari, who also own several liquor stores across the metro, are Nepal natives who signed a five-year lease in December.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natives
Noun
-
Ohio pays nursing homes a daily rate for Medicaid residents and provides additional payments to facilities that meet certain quality benchmarks.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
To Crowley and Dixit, their multispecies map is a natural extension of this worldview by identifying places meaningful to Penryn’s nonhuman residents and visitors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
The unidentified American woman was stuck on Pitcairn, an island with only about 50 inhabitants, no airport and infrequent maritime options to depart.—
Matthew Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
By 1830 a quarter of Ohio’s 1 million inhabitants clustered in the state’s southwestern corner.—
Matthew Smith,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
In Mexico, South Koreans are partying with the locals and mariachi bands are greeting teams at their hotels.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
-
Popular with Laguna Beach and LA locals for a quick staycation, the property also draws a loyal set of Montage brand devotees who’ve stayed at one of the sister properties in South Carolina, Deer Valley, or Los Cabos.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Natives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natives. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
