natural 1 of 2

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as in biologic
being such by blood and not by adoption or marriage an adult adoptee who has decided to search for his natural parents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in crude
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining natural salts are not edible until they are washed and processed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in uninhabited
existing without human habitation or cultivation photographs of animals in their natural habitat

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as in illegitimate
born to a father and mother who are not married had fathered an unknown number of natural children

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natural

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective natural differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of natural are normal, regular, and typical. While all these words mean "being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average," natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

When is normal a more appropriate choice than natural?

Although the words normal and natural have much in common, normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

When is it sensible to use regular instead of natural?

The words regular and natural can be used in similar contexts, but regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

Where would typical be a reasonable alternative to natural?

In some situations, the words typical and natural are roughly equivalent. However, typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

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 natural
Adjective
The city coordinated with owners of the Baker Prairie Natural Area and the Martha Milburn Bird Sanctuary early in the planning and design process to minimize the impacts to those naturals areas and to improve access to them, the release states. arkansasonline.com, 3 July 2025 The brand was founded by Antony Buck and Robert Calcraft and positioned itself in the naturals category, which by the time of its acquisition had become among the fastest-growing skin care segments globally. Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 1 May 2025
Noun
Known for its wide toe boxes and zero-drop construction that keeps your heel and toes level, the Lone Peak 9 shoes place your feet in a more natural position than traditional footwear. Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025 With his natural charisma and naked emotion, Thug and Big Bank go all the way back to rapper’s childhood traumas (his apartment complex burning down, his older brother dying in front of him) to try to get to the bottom of his emotional outbursts. Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for natural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natural
Adjective
  • But this more robust communications channel is quite welcome after decades of sterile chatbots and IVR that fail to offer a realistic experience to those trying to reach the top brass of any company anywhere.
    John Werner, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The scenario focused on employing the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 2,000-pound Quicksink maritime weapon to destroy a surface vessel under realistic conditions, according to a US Air Force press release published on September 10.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Shaw has said he was reborn after the shooting and years later would become a born-again Christian.
    Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, 9 June 2019
  • In his mid-40s, Mr. Phillips had quietly become a born-again Christian after attending a Billy Graham rally.
    James R. Hagerty, WSJ, 18 Jan. 2019
Adjective
  • The rise of the bias cut was a silhouette on which Robbins wanted to focus, imbuing the fluid style with elements of luxury and glamour intrinsic to the aristocracy.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Warren Buffett famously looks for intrinsic value rather than the current mood of the market.
    Jack Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Trump is mentioned again on Page 156 of the birthday book document in a photo and a handwritten caption with a crude joke allegedly penned by Joel Pashcow, who the Wall Street Journal reports is a long-time Mar-a-Lago member.
    Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The data also shows that the Reliance refinery gets nearly half its crude oil from Russia.
    Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Billy Zane stars as Marlon Brando—a role he was born to play, look at him—in Bill Fishman’s adaptation of a memoir by architect Bernard Judge, whom Brando hired to build a compound on an uninhabited island in Tahiti in the ’70s.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
  • In warmer months, rent a boat or jet ski and head to Goat Island to congregate with other boaters who love to swim and relax around the tiny, uninhabited island.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Algorithmic Literacy requires genuine technical comprehension of AI capabilities, constraints, and ethical implications.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • But despite a certain staginess, and a tendency for the plot to suddenly stop to make way for the acting, Hedda is actually a genuine attempt to mine something new from the old text, a compelling fusion of Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and Stephen Fry’s Bright Young Things.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
    Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Not game hours, real human hours.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Dumas’ injunction states that any decisions made in meetings with Weatherington claiming the chair seat are illegitimate.
    Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Putin asked, reiterating a common Russian argument that their country sees the Ukrainian leader as illegitimate.
    Tara Suter, The Hill, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Natural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natural. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

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