naturalized

American  

[nach-er-uh-lahyzd] / ˈnætʃ ər əˌlaɪzd /

adjective

1. having been given the rights and privileges of citizenship after immigrating from another country.

2. (of an athlete) playing for a particular country's national team on the basis of having met certain criteria of residency or ancestry while not being a citizen of that country.

3. (of organisms) having become established in a region as if native there after being introduced from a different one.

4. (of a garden, wetland, or other area) intentionally populated with mostly native species which are then allowed to flourish and grow wild with little or no human intervention.

5. (of landscaping) involved in planting or managing such gardens, areas, etc.

6. (of a word or custom) having become mainstream in a particular language or culture after being introduced or borrowed from a foreign one.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• denaturalized
  adjective
• renaturalized
  adjective
• non-naturalized
  adjective

Example Sentences

As a naturalized immigrant, Campa-Najjar grounded his position in both personal experience and criticism of federal policy.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In 2008, Gorka moved to the United States with his American wife, also a counterterrorism specialist, and eventually became a naturalized citizen — “a legal immigrant,” as he is introduced at events.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

The Citizenship Clause states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The oral arguments turned on a key clause in the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US who are "subject to the jurisdiction thereof."

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

There are hundreds of different immigration scenarios, but I’ll focus on the path my family took to get naturalized.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi