natives

noun

plural of native
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

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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

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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 Today, though, these firms face competition not only from crypto natives like Coinbase, but a host of new players ranging from big fintech to traditional Wall Street firms—all of which have stronger brands and deeper pockets. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026 Cohen, Beaubaire, Kunka and Pink are all Windy City natives who experienced this exhilarating run firsthand. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Columbus, for all his accomplishments in exploration, also had a brutal history of killing, raping, and enslaving natives, and forcing cultural assimilation and Christianity during his conquest of the Americas. — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2026 Go with natives When choosing plants, first consider natives. — Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026 Many of them are Philadelphia natives, too, and expressed the spirit of generosity that exists in the city. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026 These are not tools simply meant for AI experts or even digital natives. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026 Other Miami natives involved with the production showed up for the cameras, like the play’s choreographer Patricia Delgado, a Coral Reef Senior High graduate. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026 While Lee’s Summit natives are celebrating their new Costco, Midtown residents are saying goodbye — at least temporarily — to their spot at 241 Linwood Blvd. — Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natives
  1. residents
  2. inhabitants
  3. locals
Noun
  • And so far, things seem to be operating smoothly — something local residents have grown to expect, given the high caliber of local elections officials and the careful oversight of political parties.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Cook County commissioners are looking to take a digital leap to help protect residents’ data from the grasp of immigration enforcement agents.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of residents
Noun
  • Rugged island Flores, located in the southeast of the Indonesian archipelago, is one of a handful of islands in the world’s most populous Muslim nation with a Christian majority, with 80% of its two million inhabitants identifying as Roman Catholic.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Montaukett, the original inhabitants of the Hamptons, were stripped of their land and tribal rights a century ago.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of inhabitants
Noun
  • That will upend the lives of locals like 27-year-old Sánchez and her two young daughters, whose rural town of Limón de Chagres is one of dozens of communities along the Indio River that will be affected.
    — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Stevenson set about interviewing locals about why the mine had failed.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of locals

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natives
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Cite this Entry

“Natives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natives. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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