natural
Americanadjective
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existing in or formed by nature.
The river was spanned by a natural rock bridge.
- Antonyms:
- artificial
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based on the state or behavior of things in nature; constituted by nature.
Growth is a natural process.
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of or relating to nature or the universe.
The natural beauty of this forest is remarkable.
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of, relating to, or occupied with the study of natural science.
The discovery of the laws of motion occurred through conducting natural experiments.
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(of land) in a state of nature; uncultivated.
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(of plants) growing spontaneously, without being planted or tended by humans.
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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.
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relating to hair, especially Black hair, that has not been straightened, permed, or otherwise altered in texture.
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of, relating to, or proper to the nature or essential constitution.
Her natural athletic ability had brought her a wonderful basketball career.
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having the specified character by nature; natural-born.
You can tell from his fun, interesting classes that he's a natural teacher.
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proper to the circumstances of the case.
The loss of his social circle was a natural result of his greed.
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free from affectation or constraint.
The celebrity had a charming and natural manner.
- Synonyms:
- unmannered, genuine, unaffected, spontaneous
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arising easily or spontaneously.
The mayor is known for his natural courtesy to strangers.
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conforming with the nature or character of things.
That sentence may be grammatical, but it is not natural English.
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in accordance with or conforming to the ordinary course of things.
It was natural that he should hit back after being punched.
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(of a death) happening in the ordinary or usual course of things, without the intervention of accident, violence, etc.
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based upon the innate moral feeling of humankind.
natural justice.
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having or showing feelings, such as affection, gratitude, or kindness, considered part of basic human nature.
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true to or closely imitating nature.
It's a very natural portrait of her.
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not tinted or colored; undyed.
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not treated, tanned, refined, etc.; in its original or raw state.
natural wood;
natural cowhide.
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being or having a pale tannish or grayish-yellow color, as many woods and untreated animal skins.
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related by blood rather than by adoption.
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born of parents who are not married to each other; illegitimate.
a natural son.
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having a real or physical existence, as opposed to one that is spiritual, intellectual, fictitious, etc.
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(of theology) based on what is learned from nature rather than on revelation.
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unenlightened or unregenerate.
the natural man.
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Music.
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neither sharp nor flat.
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changed in pitch by the sign ♮.
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(of a horn or trumpet) having neither side holes nor valves.
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Cards.
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being a card other than a wild card or joker.
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(of a set or sequence of cards) containing no wild cards.
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null nat (in role-playing games) designating a specified roll of the dice or die that can be taken at face value, not modified by any rule that adds to or subtracts from its value.
The monster I was attacking rolled a natural 20, landing a critical hit that took out most of my health.
noun
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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!
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Music.
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a white key on a piano, organ, or the like.
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the sign ♮, placed before a note, canceling the effect of a previous sharp or flat.
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a note affected by a ♮, or a tone thus represented.
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a natural substance or a product made with such a substance.
This boot conditioner is an ointment containing mink oil and other naturals.
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Cards. blackjack.
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Older Use. Afro.
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(in craps) a winning combination of seven or eleven made on the first cast.
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Archaic. a person with an intellectual disability.
adjective
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of, existing in, or produced by nature
natural science
natural cliffs
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in accordance with human nature
it is only natural to want to be liked
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as is normal or to be expected; ordinary or logical
the natural course of events
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not acquired; innate
a natural gift for sport
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being so through innate qualities
a natural leader
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not supernatural or strange
natural phenomena
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not constrained or affected; genuine or spontaneous
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not artificially dyed or coloured
a natural blonde
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following or resembling nature or life; lifelike
she looked more natural without her make-up
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not affected by man or civilization; uncultivated; wild
in the natural state this animal is not ferocious
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being or made from organic material; not synthetic
a natural fibre like cotton
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illegitimate; born out of wedlock
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not adopted but rather related by blood
her natural parents
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music
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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
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determined by inborn conviction
natural justice
natural rights
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cards
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(of a card) not a joker or wild card
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(of a canasta or sequence) containing no wild cards
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(of a bid in bridge) describing genuine values; not conventional
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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
noun
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informal a person or thing regarded as certain to qualify for success, selection, etc
the horse was a natural for first place
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music
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pontoon the combination of an ace with a ten or court card when dealt to a player as his or her first two cards
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obsolete an imbecile; idiot
Other Word Forms
- antinatural adjective
- antinaturalness noun
- hypernatural adjective
- hypernaturalness noun
- naturally adverb
- naturalness noun
- nonnatural adjective
- nonnaturalness noun
- prenatural adjective
- quasi-natural adjective
- subnatural adjective
- subnaturalness noun
- transnatural adjective
Etymology
Origin of natural
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin nātūrālis; equivalent to nature + -al 1; replacing Middle English naturel, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
