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.
Wilson redefined “liberty” not as a natural right antecedent to the government, but as “the right of those who are governed to adjust government to their own needs and interests.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 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's an antisemitic step that has one goal - to deter me, to deter us from having our natural right to defend ourselves against enemies who try to destroy us," he said.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025
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
"To take it away would be a violation of its natural right to live."
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
