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Synonyms

natural history

American  

noun

natural histories plural
  1. the sciences, as botany, mineralogy, or zoology, dealing with the study of all objects in nature: used especially in reference to the beginnings of these sciences in former times.

  2. the study of these sciences.


natural history British  

noun

  1. the study of animals and plants in the wild state

  2. the study of all natural phenomena

  3. the sum of these phenomena in a given place or at a given time

    the natural history of Iran

"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

natural history Scientific  
  1. The study and description of living things and natural objects, especially their origins, evolution, and relationships to one another. Natural history includes the sciences of zoology, mineralogy, geology, and paleontology.


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Derived Forms

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Nouns

Etymology

Origin of natural history

First recorded in 1560–70

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.

See Examples For:

"It's really incredible to see and to have the level of public interest," said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's worldwide head of science and natural history.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

"The United States is the only country in the world where fossils like this are considered personal property," Cassandra Hatton, head of science and natural history at Sotheby's, told AFP before the auction.

From Barron's Jul. 14, 2026

The dinosaur is now on display at the city’s natural history museum, which opened in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 14, 2026

It’s an era of natural history with striking parallels to our own — climate change, extinction, devastating fires, a wobbling balance between humans and the rest of the natural world.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 6, 2026

The Academy was a natural history museum full of dinosaur bones and taxidermy.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

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