1
as in congenital
being such from birth or by nature
from his first visits to the wading pool, we could tell that our little boy loved water and was a natural swimmer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in living
closely resembling the object imitated
the diorama featuring stuffed birds and plastic plants actually looked very natural
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
4
as in intrinsic
being a part of the innermost nature of a person or thing
her natural talent for music first became apparent when, unbidden, she started banging on a toy piano
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in uninhabited
existing without human habitation or cultivation
photographs of animals in their natural habitat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in genuine
free from any intent to deceive or impress others
she was completely natural in expressing her feelings for him, unafraid of how they would be received
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in human
relating to or characteristic of human beings
it's only natural to make mistakes—it's part of being human
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in illegitimate
born to a father and mother who are not married
had fathered an unknown number of natural children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in great
having, characterized by, or arising from a dignified and generous nature
his late grandfather was as kind and natural a man as one could ever hope to meet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in barbarian
not civilized
a natural man, unacquainted with the blessings and burdens of society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in idiot
a stupid person
a character depicted as a natural in the novel as indicated by his unsophisticated speech habits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
natural resources
natural disasters
a natural beauty
natural products
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
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 May 2025
Also, whole fruits like watermelon have natural but not added sugars, as many juices do.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 21 May 2025
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
The fit was seen as a natural: UConn is expanding it regional campus presence in downtown Hartford, including the addition of student housing.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for natural
Adjective
Hawks and owls are natural predators, so welcome them into your garden with nesting boxes.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 May 2025
Also, whole fruits like watermelon have natural but not added sugars, as many juices do.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 21 May 2025
Noun
As teens, the two flaxen-haired boys were naturals at making funny and engaging Vines, the six-second video app that was a precursor to TikTok.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
The fit was seen as a natural: UConn is expanding it regional campus presence in downtown Hartford, including the addition of student housing.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for natural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natural
Adjective
-
This dark and somewhat manic depiction features Lee Cleveland, a congenital amputee, as Abe, a one-armed farmer, and Sarah Beth Budd as his wife Edie.—
Gus Alexiou,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
-
This rare congenital heart condition defect occurs in around 1 out of every 12,000 births, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
Adjective
-
But Netanyahu said Tuesday that any new ceasefire deal reached -- for example to facilitate the release of more living hostages -- would be temporary.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 May 2025
-
With Asian elephants—its closest living relatives—facing a 22-month pregnancy and a decade-long wait for maturity, researchers needed a faster way to test their genetic edits.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That journey is rooted in aligning their personal growth with organizational goals—and it must be shaped by intrinsic motivation, not fear, force or obligation.—
Dr. Monika Sumra,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
-
Wex Payments company Wex is trading far below its intrinsic value and has the potential to more than double in the next three to five years, according to Impactive Capital co-founder and managing partner Lauren Taylor Wolfe.—
Pia Singh,Yun Li,
CNBC,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Such a fund holds derivatives tied to the prices of a basket of physical assets—crude oil, natural gas, precious metals, base metals, grains, livestock.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
Subscribe The core inflation is expected to ease in the coming months due to lower crude oil prices and the yen’s appreciation, said Masato Koike, economist at Sompo Institute Plus.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
China's maritime forces seized effective control over the uninhabited atoll after a 2012 standoff with the Philippines.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 May 2025
-
The president imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China after taking office, before rolling his tariffs out to nearly all countries—even uninhabited ones—in early April.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
Section meetings are open to members, guests and anyone with a genuine interest in UFOs/UAPs.—
Deb Harvell,
Arkansas Online,
18 May 2025
-
For all the offseason acquisitions meant to bolster the rotation, starting pitching has become a genuine concern for Los Angeles.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
Khartoum was founded as a slave market, in 1821, and Arabs continued to raid southern areas, including the Nuba Mountains, for human chattel long after the practice was outlawed, in 1924.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
-
Too often, promising technology overlooks fundamentals like physician workflow or human experience.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
Maduro, whose reelection last year to a third term has been condemned internationally as illegitimate, also has cracked down on his political opponents.—
Mark Sherman,
Chicago Tribune,
19 May 2025
-
Created primarily to fight organized crime, RICO was seldom used until a 1981 Supreme Court decision expanded its interpretation to apply to both legitimate and illegitimate enterprises, according to Jeffrey Grell, an expert on the law who previewed the case for the American Bar Association.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Natural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natural. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share