aboriginal

[ ab-uh-rij-uh-nl ]

See synonyms for aboriginal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

Sometimes Aboriginal. relating to or typical of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a region, or their descendants: the aboriginal people of Tahiti;aboriginal customs.
Aboriginal. relating to or being a member of any of the peoples who are the earliest known inhabitants of Australia, or one of their descendants: an Aboriginal tribe of Tasmania.

originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country; native; indigenous: aboriginal mammals of the Arctic.

noun

Sometimes Aboriginal . Aborigine (def. 2).
Aboriginal. Often Offensive. Aborigine (def. 1).

Origin of aboriginal

First recorded in 1660–70; Aborigine + -al¹

usage note For aboriginal

See Aborigine.

Other words for aboriginal

3	endemic, autochthonous

See synonyms for aboriginal on Thesaurus.com

Other words from aboriginal

ab·o·rig·i·nal·i·ty, noun
ab·o·rig·i·nal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby aboriginal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aboriginal in a sentence

The day just gets more upsetting when we hear about aboriginal rights in Canada.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero | Darren Aronofsky | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The cover story is about how over 1,000 aboriginal women have gone missing since 1980.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero | Darren Aronofsky | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“At that time, aboriginal people were only just granted citizenship,” Briggs tells the Daily Beast.
‘The Sapphires’: Tony Briggs and His Mum on Racism in Australia, Music & More | Jean Trinh | March 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
One Sapphire, Kay, falls for a black soldier, even as she struggles with her aboriginal identity.
‘The Sapphires’: Tony Briggs and His Mum on Racism in Australia, Music & More | Jean Trinh | March 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
An all-girl aboriginal quartet sings in war-torn Vietnam in ‘The Sapphires,’ out today.
‘The Sapphires’: Tony Briggs and His Mum on Racism in Australia, Music & More | Jean Trinh | March 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

MacRae's seat, stone-marker, and aboriginal spearhead; the three lined up like the sights of a modern rifle.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
Your school years are ended, and a life of quiet, amid scenes of aboriginal romance, awaits you here.
Mystery Ranch | Arthur Chapman
On the whole, the new comers succeeded in making friends of the aboriginal race.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
The aboriginal races include American Indians of the mainland and Caribs.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
The aboriginal tribes of Australia are of a low-class black race, but generally peaceful and inoffensive in their habits.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for aboriginal (1 of 2)

aboriginal

/ (ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnəl) /

adjective

existing in a place from the earliest known period; indigenous; autochthonous

Derived forms of aboriginal

aboriginally, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for Aboriginal (2 of 2)

Aboriginal

/ (ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of the indigenous peoples of Australia

noun

another word for an Australian Aborigine

usage For Aboriginal

The Australian government suggests that the most exact and inclusive way of referring to the indigenous peoples of Australia is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples . Other terms which are acceptable are: Aboriginal people(s), Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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