native

[ ney-tiv ]

See synonyms for: native natives natively on Thesaurus.com

adjective

being the place or environment in which a person was born or a thing came into being: one's native land.
belonging to a person by birth or to a thing by nature; inherent: native ability;native grace.

belonging by birth to a people regarded as indigenous to a certain place, especially a preliterate people: Native guides accompanied the expedition through the rainforest.
of indigenous origin, growth, or production: native pottery.
Native. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Indigenous inhabitants of a place or country: Native customs;Native dress.
born in a particular place or country: a native New Yorker.
of or relating to a language acquired by a person before or to the exclusion of any other language: Her native language is Greek.
pertaining to or characteristic of a person using a native language or first language, acquired in childhood: a native speaker of English;native command of a language.
under the rule of natives: a native government.
occupied by natives: the native quarter of Algiers.
remaining or growing in a natural state; unadorned or unchanged: the native beauty of a desert island.
forming the source or origin of a person or thing: He returned to his native Kansas.
originating naturally in a particular country or region, as animals or plants: Hundreds of species of plants and trees native to central Texas are displayed and nurtured in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, south of Austin.
found in nature rather than produced artificially, as a mineral substance: the difference between native and industrial diamonds.
Chemistry, Mineralogy. (of metals) occurring in nature pure or uncombined: native copper.
belonging to a person as a birthright: to deprive people of their native rights.
Digital Technology.
- of or relating to software designed specifically for the platform on which it is running: native applications for 64-bit PCs;native mobile apps.
- of or relating to data interpreted or displayed by the software or hardware for which it was originally encoded: to view the file in its native format.
Archaic. closely related, as by birth.

noun

Sometimes Offensive. one of the people indigenous to a place or country, especially as distinguished from strangers, foreigners, colonizers, etc.: the natives of Chile.
Native. Sometimes Offensive. Indigenous (def. 2). : See Usage note at the current entry.

a person born in a particular place or country: a native of Ohio.
an organism indigenous to a particular region.
British. an oyster reared in British waters, especially in an artificial bed.
Astrology. a person born under a particular planet: Capricorn natives are practical, collected, and reliable allies to have in a crisis.

Idioms about native

go native, Informal: Often Offensive. to adopt the way of life of a place or environment that is different from one's own (sometimes used facetiously): After living on the island for a year, we went native and did without air conditioning just like the locals. I don’t usually drink alcohol, but at the frat party I went native and played beer pong with everyone else.

Origin of native

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin nātīvus “inborn, natural,” equivalent to nāt(us) (past participle of nāscī “to be born”) + -īvus, replacing Middle English natif, from Middle French, from Latin, as above; cf. -ive

usage note For native

When used to mean "an original inhabitant of a place or country," the noun native may be taken as offensive and has declined in use. Historically it is associated with colonialist attitudes: Indigenous people, especially when nonwhite, were typically considered to be primitive or culturally inferior.
Native also falls into a category of identity words that are common as adjectives (a marketplace for Native artists; a Native politician sought the nomination) and sometimes used as plural nouns (only Natives who reside on the reservation can vote in the Tribal election). However, these identity words are very rare and often sound offensive when used as singular nouns (voters elected a Native ). In most cases, the adjective is preferred (voters elected a Native councilmember ).

Other words for native

2	inherited, innate, inbred, congenital
4	autochthonous, aboriginal
11	real, genuine, original
19	Aborigine

See synonyms for native on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for native

2	acquired
19	alien

See antonyms for native on Thesaurus.com

Other words from native

na·tive·ly, adverb
na·tive·ness, noun
non·na·tive, adjective, noun
non·na·tive·ly, adverb
non·na·tive·ness, noun
pro·na·tive, adjective
qua·si-na·tive, adjective
un·na·tive, adjective

Words Nearby native

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

How to use native in a sentence

That limits the amount of access native speakers have to tech tools in their language.
How a Scots Wikipedia scandal highlighted AI’s data problem | Nicolás Rivero | August 27, 2020 | Quartz
Unlike Facebook’s previous shopping products, the latest storefronts will be native to the platform.
As online shopping intensifies, e-commerce marketers are becoming increasingly reliant on Facebook’s ads | Seb Joseph | August 25, 2020 | Digiday
She also brought with her the native advertising playbook from Forbes.
‘Unstoppable innovator’: The meteoric rise of Meredith Kopit Levien, the next New York Times CEO | Steven Perlberg | August 19, 2020 | Digiday
Across board branded content revenue for publishers will be down between 20% and 40% this year, according to tech company Polar, which helps publishers with branded content and native advertising.
‘That innovation budget has gone’: Publishers adapt to thwarted branded content studio growth | Lucinda Southern | August 4, 2020 | Digiday
The NBA is smitten with mascots native to land, the most popular classification across the board.
For Aspiring Performers, The NBA Is The Best Place To Be A Mascot | Josh Planos | July 17, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight

He had shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend early that morning in Baltimore and headed for his native Brooklyn.
Two Cops ‘Assassinated’ in Brooklyn | Michael Daly | December 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
While the Clovis, California native may not have completely believed that, he wasn't about to sit around and find out.
Chris Colfer on Writing, Acting, and the Pain of Being A Pop Culture Trailblazer | Oliver Jones | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They were conducted entirely in Hebrew, a language the U.S. native does not speak, although he was provided a translator.
The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist | Creede Newton | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Hornbuckle, on the other hand, says the policy will not put native American nations in danger.
Tribes to U.S. Government: Take Your Weed and Shove It | Abby Haglage | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And household earnings for illegal immigrants are considerably lower than that of native-born and legal immigrants.
The Case for More Low-Skill Immigration | Veronique de Rugy | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
His 6,000 native auxiliaries (as it proved later on) could not be relied upon in a civil war.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
She came to know the peculiarities of nearly all native trees.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine Clement
A native of Haarlem on Zandam, the date of her birth being unknown.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine Clement
The history of that terrible hour is brightened by many such instances of native fealty.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
“We shall make Mr. Pickwick pay for peeping,” said Fogg, with considerable native humour, as he unfolded his papers.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for native

native

/ (ˈneɪtɪv) /

adjective

relating or belonging to a person or thing by virtue of conditions existing at the time of birth: my native city
inherent, natural, or innate: a native strength

born in a specified place: a native German
(when postpositive, foll by to) originating in a specific place or area: kangaroos are native to Australia
characteristic of or relating to the indigenous inhabitants of a country or area: the native art of the New Guinea Highlands
(of chemical elements, esp metals) found naturally in the elemental form
unadulterated by civilization, artifice, or adornment; natural
archaic related by birth or race
go native (of a settler) to adopt the lifestyle of the local population, esp when it appears less civilized

noun

(usually foll by of) a person born in a particular place: a native of Geneva
(usually foll by of) a species originating in a particular place or area: the kangaroo is a native of Australia

a member of an indigenous people of a country or area, esp a non-White people, as opposed to colonial settlers and immigrants
offensive, old-fashioned any non-White

Origin of native

C14: from Latin nātīvus innate, natural, from nascī to be born

usage For native

Because of its potentially offensive and colonial overtones, native as a noun without qualification is best avoided. It is however acceptable when modified, as in : natives of Edinburgh, or a native of North Carolina

Derived forms of native

natively, adverb
nativeness, noun

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

Scientific definitions for native

native

[ nā′tĭv ]

Living or growing naturally in a particular place or region; indigenous.
Occurring in nature on its own, uncombined with other substances. Copper and gold are often found in native form.

Of or relating to the naturally occurring conformation of a macromolecule, such as a protein.

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