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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use natural in a sentence
We have 65,000 households as members, which is the largest of any natural history museum in the world.
With angles of 36, 72 and 108 degrees, the triangles’ connection to pentagons is natural and also allows the triangles to combine in many ways around a vertex.
How to Solve Our Three John Conway-Inspired Puzzles | Pradeep Mutalik | November 20, 2020 | Quanta MagazineMidway through the project, the team met in Budapest and spent three whirlwind days sprinting to incorporate more natural examples.
Scientists Uncover the Universal Geometry of Geology | Joshua Sokol | November 19, 2020 | Quanta MagazineYou start off with something that kind of looks like it maybe doesn’t have any natural order in it.
As part of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network, in 2018 Ward led a series about West Virginia's natural gas industry and in 2019 and 2020 an investigation of the business empire of the state's governor, Jim Justice.
ProPublica Selects Six Journalists for Distinguished Fellows Program | by ProPublica | November 16, 2020 | ProPublica
“This is not a contest about natural assets or even about naturalness,” Sousa recently told the Venezuelan press.
He had a naturalness in his body that gave him a feeling that when he moved, it seemed so easy—it was so electric and wild.
The almost lazy naturalness and simplicity faded gradually out of it, revealing the alert and seductive woman of the world.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensThere was a naturalness in his enjoyment which was almost boylike; a naive sort of exultation possessed him.
When Valmond Came to Pontiac, Complete | Gilbert ParkerNow the advantage of Dink's method of signaling was in its absolute naturalness.
The Varmint | Owen JohnsonCountess Yaskov told me her story, the narrative of her friend, with perfect naturalness and with a quiet ease.
Overlooked | Maurice BaringThat is the setting of our Pearl, a creature of divine naturalness, waiting until some Quaker Cupid twangs his bow.
The Red City | S. Weir Mitchell
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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