Meaning & use
native
Belonging to a person by birth, or growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular place.
See it in a sentence
Maple trees are native to the cool forests of eastern Canada and the northern United States.
She speaks native French, having grown up in Lyon before moving abroad as a teenager.
A note on using this word
Native describes origin by birth or natural habitat; do not confuse it with 'naturalized,' which means officially adopted later.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
foreign
Another way to use it
2. noun
A person born in a particular place, or an original inhabitant of a region.
The native welcomed the travelers and offered to guide them through the jungle.
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