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• aboriginal
  aboriginal

  adjective

  Sometimes Aboriginal. relating to or typical of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a region, or their descendants: aboriginal customs.
• Aboriginal
  Aboriginal

  adjective

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

aboriginal

American  

[ab-uh-rij-uh-nl] / ˌæb əˈrɪdʒ ə nl /

adjective

1. Sometimes Aboriginal. relating to or typical of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a region, or their descendants: aboriginal customs.

   the aboriginal people of Tahiti;

   aboriginal customs.

2. 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.

3. originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country; native; indigenous.

   aboriginal mammals of the Arctic.

   Synonyms:

   autochthonous, endemic

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noun

• aboriginals
  plural

1. Sometimes Aboriginal Aborigine.

2. Often Offensive. Aboriginal. Aborigine.

Aboriginal ¹ British  

/ ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnəl /

adjective

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

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noun

1. another word for an Australian Aborigine

aboriginal ² British  

/ ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnəl /

adjective

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

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Usage

See Aborigine.

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aboriginality
  noun
• aboriginally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aboriginals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of aboriginal

First recorded in 1660–70; Aborigine + -al ¹

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Explanation

The native, indigenous people of a country are often called aboriginals. In Canada, the First Nations — Inuits and Métis — would be considered aboriginals. The adjective form of aboriginal is used to describe anything related to the people native to an area. You may visit a museum that has an exhibit of aboriginal art; or, if you're a linguist, you may study aboriginal languages. The adjective can also be used to describe something that is indigenous to a place and existed there from the beginning, such as "an aboriginal forest" that consists of old, old trees.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aboriginal Aboriginal aboriginals

There are several ongoing aboriginal title claims in British Columbia, and the Cowichan decision could affect private-property owners in those regions as well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025

Unique visitors to Eagle Feather News, a tiny aboriginal newspaper in Saskatchewan, plummeted from about 20,000 to 12,000 a month in the five months after the Facebook ban.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024

But he concluded the Nuchatlaht did demonstrate use and occupancy before colonization sufficient to assert aboriginal title on smaller areas.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2024

“The DNA study also provides the Blood Tribe/Kainai with a new line of evidence to help further treaty and aboriginal rights,” the study authors wrote to Science in a collaborative statement.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 3, 2024

It was an aboriginal darkness now that Toomer studied, waiting for a face or a voice to materialize.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

The GunaiKurnai, an Australian Aboriginal nation, are recognized as the traditional custodians of Gippsland and the southern Victorian Alps.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal Australians have hunted these majestic animals for food.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Some didgeridoo instrumentalists believe its low-frequency sound waves can foster a state of health and harmony for those in the Aboriginal community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

“The core of this discussion really should be around CIRI’s Aboriginal indigenous rights,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Soon after the British settlement of Sydney in 1788, the first of the epidemics that decimated Aboriginal Australians began.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Those clauses were removed in the 1960s, leaving no mention of aboriginals at all.

From Economist ● Jul. 5, 2018

The prince then travelled into Australia's Daintree Rainforest where he met the Kuku Yalanji aboriginals.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2018

Parks Canada will determine ownership in conjunction with the Inuit aboriginals in the northernmost Canadian territory of Nunavut and unnamed “government organizations”, the agency said, without giving details.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 26, 2016

Even before the court ruling, the Gateway project was under a cloud of uncertainty because of local opposition from aboriginals, environmentalists and lawmakers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2016

He said the whole population of the colony of South Australia was not far from one hundred and thirty thousand including about five thousand aboriginals.

From The Land of the Kangaroo Adventures of Two Youths in a Journey through the Great Island Continent by Thomas Wallace Knox

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Related Words

• earliest
• original

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