natives

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

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 Sterman, after much contemplation, decided to use natives but didn’t develop a detailed plan. Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026 With Mexico opening the tournament against South Africa, fans and natives said that short of being at the match, Fan Festival was the next best spot to see the tournament. Dan Snyder, CBS News, 11 June 2026 Not all the plants in the unamended soil are California natives or even drought-tolerant. Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026 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
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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Natives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natives. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on natives

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