native 1 of 2

Definition of nativenext
1
as in indigenous
belonging to a particular place by birth or origin though she now lived in the Northeast, she was a native Midwesterner

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2
as in crude
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining diamonds in their native state are not the bright, flashy gems that one might imagine

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3

native

2 of 2

noun

1
as in resident
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 aborigine
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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Synonym Chooser

How is the word native distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of native are aboriginal, endemic, and indigenous. While all these words mean "belonging to a locality," native implies birth or origin in a place or region and may suggest compatibility with it.

native tribal customs

When can aboriginal be used instead of native?

The meanings of aboriginal and native largely overlap; however, aboriginal implies having no known others preceding in occupancy of a particular region.

the aboriginal peoples of Australia

In what contexts can endemic take the place of native?

The synonyms endemic and native are sometimes interchangeable, but endemic implies being peculiar to a region.

a disease endemic in Africa

When might indigenous be a better fit than native?

The words indigenous and native are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, indigenous applies to that which is not only native but which, as far as can be determined, has never been introduced or brought from elsewhere.

indigenous plants

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 native
Adjective
Tuesday stood as a night full of firsts for Boise native Emily Sams. Idaho Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026 Signs are posted along the path providing information on native plants and animals, and a good reason to pause and catch your breath. Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
Ewart and Swensson – both of whom are Canadian natives – were two of just five players from a field of 176 to survive the 72-hole tournament at Ponte Vedra Beach. Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026 Today, Hallmark has exclusively revealed to Southern Living that the role of Aunt Maysilee will be played by a South Carolina native with personal ties to the western North Carolina landmark. Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for native
Recent Examples of Synonyms for native
Adjective
  • Half the contestants would be the colonists; the others, the island’s indigenous inhabitants.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
  • They've been used for time immemorial by indigenous cultures.
    Big Think, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Hungerstone is a delicious tribute to the inherent horrors of womanhood and the desperate and exquisite vulgarity of desire.
    Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
  • But Swims buckled into the ballad, standing tall and belting through the song’s inherent ache.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Fear, anger and solidarity are colliding across Minneapolis, as residents describe a city where daily life now relies on warnings and mutual care.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
  • Additional Blink camera footage provided by residents similarly shows the suspect partially clothed or nude in common hallways, the sheriff's office said.
    Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The Guanches were aborigines of the Canary Islands.
    JP Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
  • The bill’s sponsors insisted their motives were not racist, although, one of the sponsors, state Sen. Scott Beason, later recorded himself referring to black people as aborigines while wearing a wire for the FBI.
    Kyle Whitmire, al, 22 Nov. 2019
Adjective
  • Once an aboriginal title is recognized, its holders can collect formal and informal rents from those who seek to develop what is Indigenous land.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
  • The woman is also described as aboriginal, around 5 foot tall, wearing a black beanie, white T-shirt, and maroon hoodie.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • Data centers are being built at a rapid pace to meet the growing resource needs of AI, thereby endangering natural habitats.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Hippocrates and his followers held on to their belief in natural causes.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 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
Noun
  • Half the contestants would be the colonists; the others, the island’s indigenous inhabitants.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
  • For one of the few times in the history of the remote arctic nation of roughly 56,000 inhabitants, Greenland is making international headlines.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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