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Definition of naturalnext
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as in biological
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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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 loose, unstructured styling leans into the hair’s natural texture. Grace McCarty, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2026 Obesity was listed as a contributing factor in Williams’ death, the manner of which was ruled natural, according to his father Jim Williams’ Facebook post Monday. Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
That’s a natural for the company that owns Nickelodeon, which remains a content engine for the company even as the linear cable business slides. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025 Although Michael Bowen was perhaps the first to talk it up, the notion of a large celebration was a complete natural for a neighborhood that was itself an ongoing celebration. Dennis McNally, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for natural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natural
Adjective
  • Researchers say the system delivers an unusually realistic driving experience.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
  • But an edited — and realistic — image of civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong in tears after being arrested is raising new alarms about how the administration is blurring the lines between what is real and what is fake.
    Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
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 bulletin also cited biological threats, such as the coronavirus and bird flu, and the official responses to them as factors in moving the clock.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Empathy, at the biological level, is real.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • There is a kind of intrinsic magnet present in this journey, which become ours.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Published in the journal Science, the study points out that the efficient heat dissipation is fundamentally limited by intrinsic scattering mechanisms that cap the thermal conductivity of metallic materials such as copper to ~ 400 Watts per meter Kelvin.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • East Caicos, one of the largest uninhabited islands in the Caribbean, felt untouched.
    Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
  • What To Know The Japanese government purchased Mageshima, an uninhabited islet in Kagoshima prefecture, for $146 million in 2019.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • The new telescope represents a genuine leap toward accessible professional astronomy, stripping away the technical barriers.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The strength of the Premier League has never been more evident, with each side posing a genuine threat to take points off each other.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Steering wheels, pedals, and dashboards designed for constant human control can limit comfort and flexibility when the vehicle is driving itself.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The right response is not to walk away from generative AI, but to combine it with deterministic tools, human oversight, and serious training.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • At the start of the season, Sophie — who was born out of an illegitimate relationship between her father, Lord Penwood, and her mother, his maid and mistress — is living with and working for Lady Araminta (Katie Leung), her father's widow.
    Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Apple Music introduced fraud penalties back in 2022, where along with demonetizing the illegitimate streams themselves, the company employed a sliding scale of fining fraudsters a fee calculated on what would’ve been royalties.
    Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Natural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natural. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

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