natural
existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial): The river was spanned by a natural rock bridge.
based on the state or behavior of things in nature; constituted by nature: Growth is a natural process.
of or relating to nature or the universe: The natural beauty of this forest is remarkable.
of, relating to, or occupied with the study of natural science: The discovery of the laws of motion occurred through conducting natural experiments.
(of land) in a state of nature; uncultivated.
(of plants) growing spontaneously, without being planted or tended by humans.
having undergone little or no processing and containing no chemical additives: The restaurant is famous for serving only natural food made with only natural ingredients.: Compare organic (def. 11).
relating to hair, especially Black hair, that has not been straightened, permed, or otherwise altered in texture.
of, relating to, or proper to the nature or essential constitution: Her natural athletic ability had brought her a wonderful basketball career.
having the specified character by nature; natural-born: You can tell from his fun, interesting classes that he's a natural teacher.
proper to the circumstances of the case: The loss of his social circle was a natural result of his greed.
free from affectation or constraint: The celebrity had a charming and natural manner.
arising easily or spontaneously: The mayor is known for his natural courtesy to strangers.
conforming with the nature or character of things: That sentence may be grammatical, but it is not natural English.
in accordance with or conforming to the ordinary course of things: It was natural that he should hit back after being punched.
(of a death) happening in the ordinary or usual course of things, without the intervention of accident, violence, etc.
based upon the innate moral feeling of humankind: natural justice.
having or showing feelings, such as affection, gratitude, or kindness, considered part of basic human nature.
true to or closely imitating nature: It's a very natural portrait of her.
not tinted or colored; undyed.
not treated, tanned, refined, etc.; in its original or raw state: natural wood;natural cowhide.
being or having a pale tannish or grayish-yellow color, as many woods and untreated animal skins.
related by blood rather than by adoption.
born of parents who are not married to each other; illegitimate: a natural son.
having a real or physical existence, as opposed to one that is spiritual, intellectual, fictitious, etc.
(of theology) based on what is learned from nature rather than on revelation.
unenlightened or unregenerate: the natural man.
Music.
neither sharp nor flat.
changed in pitch by the sign ♮.
(of a horn or trumpet) having neither side holes nor valves.
Cards.
being a card other than a wild card or joker.
(of a set or sequence of cards) containing no wild cards.
any person or thing that is or is likely or certain to be very suitable to and successful in an endeavor without much training or difficulty: You're a natural at this—you picked it up so fast!
Music.
a white key on a piano, organ, or the like.
the sign ♮, placed before a note, canceling the effect of a previous sharp or flat.
a note affected by a ♮, or a tone thus represented.
a natural substance or a product made with such a substance: This boot conditioner is an ointment containing mink oil and other naturals.
Cards. blackjack (def. 1c).
Older Use. Afro (def. 1).
(in craps) a winning combination of seven or eleven made on the first cast.
Archaic. a person with an intellectual disability.
Origin of natural
1Other words for natural
Other words from natural
- nat·u·ral·ly, adverb
- nat·u·ral·ness, noun
- an·ti·nat·u·ral, adjective
- an·ti·nat·u·ral·ness, noun
- hy·per·nat·u·ral, adjective
- hy·per·nat·u·ral·ness, noun
- non·nat·u·ral, adjective
- non·nat·u·ral·ness, noun
- pre·nat·u·ral, adjective
- qua·si-nat·u·ral, adjective
- sub·nat·u·ral, adjective
- sub·nat·u·ral·ness, noun
- trans·nat·ur·al, adjective
Words Nearby natural
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use natural in a sentence
The frequency of high fire weather days in the Amazon increased above natural variability starting in 1997, according to a 2018 study published in Geophysical Research Letters.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common | Lili Pike | September 17, 2020 | VoxThese cork boards are made from 100 percent natural cork and come in a 10-pack of hexagon-shaped boards.
Cork boards for organizing your home or office | PopSci Commerce Team | September 17, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThat famously includes removing the US from the landmark Paris climate accords and replacing Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which limits emissions from coal and natural-gas plants.
Trump’s rollbacks could add half an EU’s worth of climate pollution by 2035 | James Temple | September 17, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewOur job — and it’s the key job — is to change the zeitgeist, people’s sense of what’s normal and natural and obvious.
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money. | Sigal Samuel | September 17, 2020 | VoxWhen you immerse yourself in the natural world, you wander a little through the landscape of your soul.
What the Meadow Teaches Us - Issue 90: Something Green | Andreas Weber | September 16, 2020 | Nautilus
In 2007 he said he had discovered a cure for AIDS using natural herbs.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country | Jacob Siegel | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTTotal oil production figures include crude oil, natural gas liquids, and other liquid energy products.
On top of oil, the United States produces significantly more natural gas than Saudi Arabia.
More to the point, Huckabee has a natural appeal to a party that has come to represent the bulk of working class white voters.
He declared that Western women are sexually promiscuous in a manner not even found in the natural world.
50 Shades of Iran: The Mullahs’ Kinky Fantasies about Sex in the West | IranWire, Shima Sharabi | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is full of poetic feeling, and the flesh tints are unusually natural.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine ClementThe place was well defended by earthworks and natural parapets, and for several hours the issue of the contest was doubtful.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanIn the old world, poverty seemed, and poverty was, the natural and inevitable lot of the greater portion of mankind.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockWhatever the species, it is well to imitate the natural conditions as much as possible in the way of soil.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinPiedmont alone vies with her, and is improving far more rapidly, but Lombardy has great natural capacities peculiarly her own.
Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
British Dictionary definitions for natural
/ (ˈnætʃrəl, -tʃərəl) /
of, existing in, or produced by nature: natural science; natural cliffs
in accordance with human nature: it is only natural to want to be liked
as is normal or to be expected; ordinary or logical: the natural course of events
not acquired; innate: a natural gift for sport
being so through innate qualities: a natural leader
not supernatural or strange: natural phenomena
not constrained or affected; genuine or spontaneous
not artificially dyed or coloured: a natural blonde
following or resembling nature or life; lifelike: she looked more natural without her make-up
not affected by man or civilization; uncultivated; wild: in the natural state this animal is not ferocious
being or made from organic material; not synthetic: a natural fibre like cotton
illegitimate; born out of wedlock
not adopted but rather related by blood: her natural parents
music
not sharp or flat
(postpositive) denoting a note that is neither sharp nor flat: B natural
(of a key or scale) containing no sharps or flats: Compare flat 1 (def. 23), sharp (def. 12)
music of or relating to a trumpet, horn, etc, without valves or keys, on which only notes of the harmonic series of the keynote can be obtained
determined by inborn conviction: natural justice; natural rights
cards
(of a card) not a joker or wild card
(of a canasta or sequence) containing no wild cards
(of a bid in bridge) describing genuine values; not conventional
based on the principles and findings of human reason and what is to be learned of God from nature rather than on revelation: natural religion
informal a person or thing regarded as certain to qualify for success, selection, etc: the horse was a natural for first place
music
Also called (US): cancel an accidental cancelling a previous sharp or flat: Usual symbol: ♮
a note affected by this accidental: Compare flat 1 (def. 35), sharp (def. 19)
pontoon the combination of an ace with a ten or court card when dealt to a player as his or her first two cards
obsolete an imbecile; idiot
Derived forms of natural
- naturalness, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with natural
see under big as life.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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