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 El Paso natives and museum board members Barb Lancaster, John Denham and Brian Ulrich, Project XV’s curator, had known of Strother’s history, unlike other board members. — Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026 My friends who were Philly natives were my tour guides, and I was inspired by their passion for the exhibits. — Lili Mei Granda Argianas, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026 Luckily, Chuy's is a national TexMex chain that is worthy of both Lone Star State natives and outsiders alike. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Being that the Super Bowl halftime show has a history of genre-blending performances, the Cali natives popping out alongside Hov would check that box while also accounting for hometown representation. — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Oct. 2026 Fully unveiled on Friday in New Delhi, the 12-month spread was photographed by Sølve Sundsbø, who had shot last year’s edition, as well as by India natives Raghu Rai and Avani Rai. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026 Catoir warns against assuming that digital natives will naturally be equipped to work with AI. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 The Fall Classic features several Kansas City natives — including Grain Valley native Jacob Misiorowski. — Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026 Cohen, Beaubaire, Kunka and Pink are all Windy City natives who experienced this exhilarating run firsthand. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natives
  1. residents
  2. inhabitants
  3. locals
Noun
  • At least two Sacramento residents were among the 28 people charged by federal officials.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Census tracts generally contain between 1,000 and 8,000 residents, with an optimum size of 4,000 people to help standardize population counts.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of residents
Noun
  • Teteles’s architects and inhabitants had a sophisticated understanding of astronomy—according to a statement from the INAH, the observatory was designed to track the Mesoamerican calendar.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 28 Oct. 2026
  • So are people, especially the longtime Indigenous inhabitants of areas targeted for protection or restoration.
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of inhabitants
Noun
  • What to do nearby Just around 45 minutes outside of Atlanta, Château Élan is a great place for locals looking for a kid-friendly staycation or those who want to spend some time relaxing outside of the city.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But the influx also risks turning mourning into a spectacle, locals say, as visitors outnumber locals.
    — Rocio Muñoz Ledo, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of locals

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Cite this Entry

“Natives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natives. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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