2
: belonging to a particular place by birth
a native New Yorker
3
archaic
: closely related
4
: belonging to or associated with one by birth
hailed in his native Sweden as an influential dramatist—
William Peden
William Peden6
a
: grown, produced, or originating in a particular place or in the vicinity : local
native fruits and vegetables
b
: living or growing naturally in a particular region : indigenous
native wildlife of Australia
7
: simple, unaffected
our feeling still native and entire, unsophisticated by pedantry—Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke8
a
: constituting the original substance or source
the way I must return to native dust—John Milton
John Milton
b
: found in nature especially in an unadulterated form
mining native silver
9
chiefly Australia
: having a usually superficial (see superficial sense 2) resemblance to a specified English plant or animal
10
capitalized
: of, relating to, or being a member of an indigenous people of North or South America : native american
natively
adverb
nativeness
noun
1
: one born or reared in a particular place
2
a
: an original or indigenous inhabitant
b
: something indigenous to a particular locality
3
: a local resident
especially
: a person who has always lived in a place as distinguished from a visitor or a temporary resident
Synonyms
Examples of native in a Sentence
Adjective
people who are native to France
She has a native ability to learn quickly.
The island is home to several native species of trees.
Noun
She's a native of France who moved to the United States when she was 15.
He wishes he could speak Spanish like a native.
The plant is a native of Central and South America.
Recent Examples on the Web
Justin Warren, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
New topography will echo the east-west movement of native people across the Hudson River, while meadow gardens will replace some four acres of lawn, with 90 species that reflect underlying moisture conditions—subdued when higher and dryer, exuberant when lower and wetter.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Behind its bar is beverage manager Philip Bischoff, a Berlin native who started experimenting with mixology at the age of 23.
—Jenn Rice, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for native 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Platform engineering is overtaking DevOps as the term cloud native people use to describe themselves.
—Justin Warren, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
New topography will echo the east-west movement of native people across the Hudson River, while meadow gardens will replace some four acres of lawn, with 90 species that reflect underlying moisture conditions—subdued when higher and dryer, exuberant when lower and wetter.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
In 1974, entrepreneur Mariano Martinez, a Dallas native, adapted a Slurpee machine to make alluring concoctions that could be dispensed without the help of a bartender.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Behind its bar is beverage manager Philip Bischoff, a Berlin native who started experimenting with mixology at the age of 23.
—Jenn Rice, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for native
Dictionary Entries Near native
Cite this Entry
“Native.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/native. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
native
1 of 2 adjective
na·tive
ˈnāt-iv 
1
: inborn sense 1, natural
native ability
2
: born in a particular place or country
native Hawaiians
3
: belonging to one because of the place or circumstances of one's birth
my native language
4
a
: grown, produced, or having its beginning in a particular region
native art
native stone
b
: living or growing naturally in a particular region
native plants
5
: found in nature especially in a pure form : not artificially prepared
native salt
6
capitalized
: of, relating to, or being a member of an Indigenous people of North or South America : native american
natively
adverb
native
2 of 2 noun1
: one born or raised in a particular place
a native of Milwaukee
2
a
: an original or Indigenous inhabitant
b
: something indigenous to a particular locality
3
: a local resident
Medical Definition
native
adjective
na·tive
ˈnāt-iv
1
: belonging to or associated with one by birth
2
: living or growing naturally in a particular region
3
a
: constituting the original substance or source
b
: found in nature especially in an unadulterated form
conversion of a native protein to a denatured protein
natively
adverb
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