native

1 of 2

adjective

na·​tive ˈnā-tiv How to pronounce native (audio)
1
: inborn, innate
native talents
2
: belonging to a particular place by birth
a native New Yorker
3
archaic : closely related
4
: belonging to or associated with one by birth
hailed in his native Sweden as an influential dramatistWilliam Peden
5
: natural, normal
a generosity that was native to him
6
a
: grown, produced, or originating in a particular place or in the vicinity : local
native fruits and vegetables
b
: living or growing naturally in a particular region : indigenous
native wildlife of Australia
7
: simple, unaffected
our feeling still native and entire, unsophisticated by pedantryEdmund Burke
8
a
: constituting the original substance or source
the way I must return to native dustJohn Milton
b
: found in nature especially in an unadulterated form
mining native silver
9
chiefly Australia : having a usually superficial (see superficial sense 2) resemblance to a specified English plant or animal
10
capitalized : of, relating to, or being a member of an indigenous people of North or South America : native american
natively adverb
nativeness noun

native

2 of 2

noun

1
: one born or reared in a particular place
2
a
: an original or indigenous inhabitant
b
: something indigenous to a particular locality
3
: a local resident
especially : a person who has always lived in a place as distinguished from a visitor or a temporary resident
Choose the Right Synonym for native

native, indigenous, endemic, aboriginal mean belonging to a locality.

native implies birth or origin in a place or region and may suggest compatibility with it.

native tribal customs

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

endemic implies being peculiar to a region.

a disease endemic in Africa

aboriginal implies having no known others preceding in occupancy of a particular region.

the aboriginal peoples of Australia

Examples of native in a Sentence

Adjective people who are native to France She has a native ability to learn quickly. The island is home to several native species of trees. Noun She's a native of France who moved to the United States when she was 15. He wishes he could speak Spanish like a native. The plant is a native of Central and South America.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But that’s just a small glimpse into a man seen as a sports hero in America and as a god in his native Puerto Rico. Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 Local PSPs can grow into global PSPs: for example, leading BNPL provider Klarna, which operates in 45 countries, started as a local provider in its native Sweden. Bartosz Skwarczek, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Alamo Records continues to stockpile its talent after the fast rise of Florida native BossMan Dlow. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2024 The Coast Guard suspended its search for the Berkeley, California native around 8:15 p.m. after an extensive search of the river and the shoreline, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Diana Sherbs, a spokeswoman for the service. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 The Bravo star and the entrepreneur wed in November 2022 in a Nigerian traditional native law and custom ceremony followed by an American ceremony in Atlanta. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 The Script and Milwaukee native Kid Cut Up, Pink’s touring DJ, will open. Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 And that’s how this country got settled and the American native Indians were crushed under this movement. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 Adinkra symbols, native to Ghana, are carved into the bark of trees along Dorothy’s path, meant to indicate support from mother nature and the ancestors. Naveen Kumar, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
With the Lakers needing one last stop, Spencer Dinwiddie, the Angeleno native making his first start for the team (in James’ place), smothered Lillard and blocked a potential game-winner in the final seconds, securing an emotional 123-122 win. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Prior to starring in the new horror flick Imaginary, the Massachusetts native played Predator in the thriller Prey, the demon Ba’al in an episode of American Horror Stories as well as a character called Muscle Monster on the Netflix series Sweet Home. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Jessica Wittner is a California native who graduated with a bachelor's in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona and a master's in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Marcus Reichley, The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 The 6-foot-2 native of Australia won an NBA championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, defeating the Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Tyler Owens , who hails from North Texas native and played his collegiate football at Texas Tech, turned heads at the NFL Combine for his theories on outer space. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 Who invented Doritos? Doritos, at No. 3 on Indiana’s list, was invented by an Indiana native. Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The Los Angeles native was just 21 years old at the time. Simrin Singh, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024 The Japan native will be performing with her high-caliber Trio, featuring guitarist Bruce Forman and drummer Akira Tana. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'native.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English natif, from Middle French, from Latin nativus, from natus, past participle of nasci to be born — more at nation

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of native was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near native

Cite this Entry

“Native.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/native. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

native

1 of 2 adjective
na·​tive ˈnāt-iv How to pronounce native (audio)
1
: inborn sense 1, natural
native ability
2
: born in a particular place or country
native Hawaiians
3
: belonging to one because of the place or circumstances of one's birth
my native language
4
a
: grown, produced, or having its beginning in a particular region
native art
native stone
b
: living or growing naturally in a particular region
native plants
5
: found in nature especially in a pure form : not artificially prepared
native salt
6
capitalized : of, relating to, or being a member of an indigenous people of North or South America : native american
natively adverb

native

2 of 2 noun
1
: one born or raised in a particular place
a native of Milwaukee
2
: one of a people living in a place before the arrival of foreigners
3
: something native to or produced in a locality
Etymology

Adjective

Middle English natif "native," from early French natif (same meaning), from Latin nativus (same meaning), from natus, past participle of nasci "to be born" — related to innate, naive, nature

Medical Definition

native

adjective
na·​tive ˈnāt-iv How to pronounce native (audio)
1
: belonging to or associated with one by birth
2
: living or growing naturally in a particular region
3
a
: constituting the original substance or source
b
: found in nature especially in an unadulterated form
conversion of a native protein to a denatured protein
natively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on native

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!