natural mother

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableformalold-fashioned

   the woman who gave birth to a child, especially when the child is raised by someone else.

   Grammar: Countable: 'her natural mother,' 'the natural mother of the child.'

   Patterns

   • someone's natural mother
   • the natural mother of a child

   He met his natural mother for the first time at age thirty.

   The natural mother decided to place the baby for adoption.

   Legal documents sometimes use 'natural mother' to mean the birth mother.

2. 2nouncountableformal

   a mother related by birth rather than by adoption or marriage.

   Grammar: Countable: used to contrast with adoptive or step relations.

   Patterns

   • natural mother vs. adoptive mother

   The court considered the rights of both the natural mother and the adoptive parents.

   She was raised by her aunt, but her natural mother visited sometimes.

Word forms

Common combinations

meet one's natural mother

After years of searching, she finally met her natural mother.

the natural mother of a child

The natural mother of the child signed the adoption papers.

natural mother and adoptive mother

The story explores the relationship between a natural mother and an adoptive mother.

Synonyms and how they differ

birth mother

More common today and less judgmental; it focuses on the act of giving birth.

biological mother

Emphasizes genetic connection; often used in medical or legal contexts.

Opposites

Word family

natural father noun

The male equivalent; the man who biologically fathered a child.

Commonly confused: natural mother or birth mother?

Practice

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