native

[ ney-tiv ]

/ ˈneɪ tɪv /

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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.

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

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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 FROM native

na·tive·ly, adverbna·tive·ness, nounnon·na·tive, adjective, nounnon·na·tive·ly, adverb

non·na·tive·ness, nounpro·na·tive, adjectivequa·si-na·tive, adjectiveun·na·tive, adjective

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

How to use native in a sentence

The 23-year-old, a native of Panama, has been really sharp since starting 2018 with the Suns.
Nationals protect Steven Fuentes, Yasel Antuna and Joan Adon from Rule 5 draft|Jesse Dougherty|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Helicopters are nearly as native to the nation’s capital as go-go and half-smokes.
In D.C., a resident tracks the flying machines hovering above on the city’s ‘helicopter highway’|Justin Wm. Moyer|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
These native apps really allow you to see what the M1 can do.
Apple’s M1 chip makes the new MacBook Air shockingly good|Stan Horaczek|November 18, 2020|Popular-Science
He has been a journalist for more than 40 years, working for newspapers in Hawaii, California, Florida and his native Guam.
ProPublica Selects Six Journalists for Distinguished Fellows Program|by ProPublica|November 16, 2020|ProPublica

Pauline Binam is from Cameroon in Central Africa, and she has many native sisters in similar circumstances here, encountering similar travails under the administration’s hardline immigration policies.
The Africans Among Them|Truthbetold|November 13, 2020|TruthBeTold.news
Moreover, a man who spoke the language natively had great advantage over us, both in preaching and pastoral work.
Mary and I|Stephen Return Riggs
My mother's side of those long months of waiting was never fully delineated, for she was natively reticent and shy of expression.
A Son of the Middle Border|Hamlin Garland
War is thus seen to be a function of social institutions, not of what is natively fixed in human constitution.
Human Nature and Conduct|John Dewey
She was of her world and time, not unsophisticated; but it chanced that she possessed a mind natively maiden.
V. V.'s Eyes|Henry Sydnor Harrison
How this thus falling short of a natively richly endowed soul became possible, can be told only from a study of his life.
Lectures on Russian Literature|Ivan Panin

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 birthmy native city

inherent, natural, or innatea native strength

born in a specified placea native German

(when postpositive, foll by to) originating in a specific place or areakangaroos are native to Australia

characteristic of or relating to the indigenous inhabitants of a country or areathe 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 placea native of Geneva

(usually foll by of) a species originating in a particular place or areathe 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

Derived forms of native

natively, adverbnativeness, noun

Word Origin for 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

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.

native

OTHER WORDS FOR native

OPPOSITES FOR native

Idioms about native

Origin of native

usage note for native

OTHER WORDS FROM native

Words related to native

How to use native in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for native

Derived forms of native

Word Origin for native

usage for native

Scientific definitions for native