Native American

¹ American  

[ney-tiv uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˈneɪ tɪv əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

noun

1. Indian.

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

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native American ² American  

noun

1. a person born in the United States.

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Native American British  

noun

1. A member of the indigenous peoples of North America

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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

Etymology

Origin of native American

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

At least six of the Native American leaders who accepted Jefferson’s invitation to visit Washington, D.C., between 1804 and 1809 died of illness before they could return to their families.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

A group of Native American activists occupied the land during a period between 1969 and 1971, and in 1972, Alcatraz became a national recreation area under National Park Service management.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The few exceptions included children of foreign diplomats, enemies during “hostile occupation,” and Native American tribal nations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

In all of the tension around the founding and the founding documents, there lurks this question of Native American belonging and exclusion and citizenship.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

In addition, Native American armies had no animals to oppose to horses, whose value for assaults and fast transport gave Europeans an overwhelming advantage until some Native American societies themselves adopted them.

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