natural right
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of natural right
First recorded in 1680–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In drafting it, Thomas Jefferson chose not to include property as a natural right alongside life and liberty, substituting the less materialistic “pursuit of Happiness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Pezeshkian said Thursday that protest "is the natural right of citizens" but a distinction had to be drawn between protesters "whose hands are stained with the blood of innocent people".
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
It comes from John Locke who argued that the people have the natural right to “appeal to heaven,” i.e. to start a revolution, if the government won’t address their grievances.
From Salon ● May 26, 2024
The Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said his people had a "natural right" to self-determination.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2024
I was feeling myself beyond any natural right.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
