Skip to content

native

/ˈneɪtəv/noun, adjective2 syllables

Native means: characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin.

Synonyms for native19

noun, as in an indigenous person who was born in a particular place

indigen, indigene, aborigine, aboriginal

adjective, as in characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin

autochthonal, autochthonic, autochthonous, endemic, indigenous, domestic, homegrown, native-born

adjective, as in belonging to one by birth

connatural, inborn, inbred

adjective, as in characteristic of or relating to people inhabiting a region from the beginning

adjective, as in as found in nature in the elemental form

also used for native

innate, inlandish, homeling

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of native

foreign, adopted, nonnative

What does native mean?7

adjective

1

characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin“the native North American sugar maple”

2

belonging to one by birth“my native land”

3

characteristic of or relating to people inhabiting a region from the beginning“native Americans”

4

as found in nature in the elemental form“native copper”

noun

1

an indigenous person who was born in a particular place“the art of the natives of the northwest coast”

2

a person born in a particular place or country“he is a native of Brazil”

3

indigenous plants and animals

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with native?1

three syllables

Show 40 near rhymes

Native in a sentence

  • Many, if not most, professional translators only translate into their native language.CK
  • It's grammatically correct, but a native would never say that.WestofEden
  • It's grammatically correct, but a native would never say it like that.WestofEden
  • Unable to prove his innocence, he was forced to leave his native town.CK
  • Esperanto shouldn't replace native languages, but rather just become the second language for everybody.AlanF_US
  • It's grammatically correct, but native speakers wouldn't say that.AlanF_US
  • I have many friends who speak fluently, but still don't sound like native speakers.CK
  • Grammatically, it's correct, but native speakers wouldn't say something like that.AlanF_US

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of native

as a noun

plural
natives