Native American

¹

[ney-tiv uh-mer-i-kuhn]

noun

1. Indian.

2. a member of any of the aboriginal peoples of the Americas, including Indians and non-Indians.

native American

²

noun

1. a person born in the United States.

Native American

noun

1. A member of the indigenous peoples of North America

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Native Americans or any of their languages

Sensitive Note

See Indian, Eskimo.

Other Word Forms

• native-American adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Native American¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

It entered bankruptcy facing lawsuits from virtually every state, as well as some 2,600 cities, counties, Native American tribes, hospitals and others seeking to recoup costs incurred from the opioid crisis.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

During the bankruptcy, more than 600,000 claims were filed, including by the U.S. government, states, thousands of governments, hundreds of Native American tribes, more than 130,000 personal-injury victims, hospitals, public schools and others.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He kept a collection of colonial maps tracing the migration of the Aztec people, part of what his son called “his love for Native American and Aztec culture.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There’s a long history there, shown in “1883” when his ancestors violate Native American territorial boundaries and, elsewhere in “The English,” where Eli’s insistence on claiming what the government says he’s owed for his military service is constantly met with reminders that he isn’t white and, therefore, his life is worth less than that of a white man.

Read more on Salon

His 2022 debut, “Prey,” is the first major movie to feature a Native American woman, Amber Midthunder, as the lead in a film released with a Native American language overdub.

Read more on Salon