naturalized

American  

[nach-er-uh-lahyzd] / ˈnætʃ ər əˌlaɪzd /

adjective

1. having been given the rights and privileges of citizenship after immigrating from another country.

2. (of an athlete) playing for a particular country's national team on the basis of having met certain criteria of residency or ancestry while not being a citizen of that country.

3. (of organisms) having become established in a region as if native there after being introduced from a different one.

4. (of a garden, wetland, or other area) intentionally populated with mostly native species which are then allowed to flourish and grow wild with little or no human intervention.

5. (of landscaping) involved in planting or managing such gardens, areas, etc.

6. (of a word or custom) having become mainstream in a particular language or culture after being introduced or borrowed from a foreign one.

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Other Word Forms

• denaturalized adjective
• non-naturalized adjective
• renaturalized adjective

Example Sentences

If you’re a naturalized citizen, your citizenship is subject to review.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

The oral arguments turned on a key clause in the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US who are "subject to the jurisdiction thereof."

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States," the amendment states.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Its opening line says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

“You are, I see, a naturalized American subject?”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie