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as in biologic
being such by blood and not by adoption or marriage an adult adoptee who has decided to search for his natural parents

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as in crude
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining natural salts are not edible until they are washed and processed

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as in uninhabited
existing without human habitation or cultivation photographs of animals in their natural habitat

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as in illegitimate
born to a father and mother who are not married had fathered an unknown number of natural children

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natural

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noun

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natural resources
geological resources
geologic resources
physical resources
native resources
environmental resources
natural disasters
earthly disasters
environmental disasters
ecological disasters
major disasters
unexpected disasters
a natural beauty
a genuine beauty
an authentic beauty
a real beauty
an unaltered beauty
an original beauty
natural products
organic products
holistic products
herbal products
pure products
homeopathic products
a natural law
an universal law
a physical law
a scientific law
a cosmic law
an innate law

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective natural differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of natural are normal, regular, and typical. While all these words mean "being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average," natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

When is normal a more appropriate choice than natural?

Although the words normal and natural have much in common, normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

When is it sensible to use regular instead of natural?

The words regular and natural can be used in similar contexts, but regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

Where would typical be a reasonable alternative to natural?

In some situations, the words typical and natural are roughly equivalent. However, typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of natural
Adjective
An ‘Extraordinary’ Day Hike: The Cactus to Clouds ascent just outside Palm Springs, Calif., is grueling, but natural treasures, and a speedy trip down, await anyone who is up to the challenge. Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 The natural chaos of life can make uncertainty feel even worse, Dr. Gallagher says. Korin Miller, SELF, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
Her costar in the comedy, Keke Palmer hails the Grammy-winning singer as a natural. Benjamin Vanhoose, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025 The main focus is Divine G (Colman Domingo), a talented performer and playwright who has been falsely imprisoned, but the movie’s power comes from its ensemble made up of actual RTA alumni who are naturals on camera. Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for natural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for natural
Adjective
  • The gene that causes a white coat and blue eyes can also be responsible for congenital deafness, though not all white cats will be deaf or have blue eyes.
    Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
  • In the case of Bronny James, he reportedly was diagnosed with congenital heart defect which was not specifically named and has had a procedure to address the issue.
    Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • With Asian elephants—its closest living relatives—facing a 22-month pregnancy and a decade-long wait for maturity, researchers needed a faster way to test their genetic edits.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Six more living hostages returned this past Saturday, but with further outrages by Hamas.
    The Editors, National Review, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In fact, gardening ranked among the top five activities that participants found most meaningful, which speaks to the deep, intrinsic satisfaction such hobbies bring.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The most important factor behind a player’s intrinsic value is their quality.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • More so, because bearish sentiment was already well entrenched in world’s crude markets before the latest events unfolded.
    Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The price of crude oil tumbled to its lowest level since 2021.
    Elaine Kurtenbach, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That might include kayaking or hiking Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, searching for seals and birdlife on the uninhabited Brion Island, exploring the rugged beauty of Trois-Rivieres in Quebec, or sailing through the legendary lochs and canals of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
    Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The tariffs on uninhabited islands full of penguins are actually designed to ensure Beijing can't exploit any loopholes in getting around our trade barriers.
    Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Between the lines: Paxton is a genuine Trump ally and is eager to hit Cornyn for being a Washington establishment figure rather than true MAGA.
    Stef W. Kight, Axios, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This is a moment of genuine courage and growth, but it can be dismissed as snitching by viewers who can’t see past her overconfidence from several hours ago.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Conspicuously anglo human characters resemble the generic design often seen in low-rent CG fare produced overseas: large heads with pristine skin and pronounced facial features.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • With all of the human eyewitnesses having passed away, the wreck is our only remaining witness to the disaster.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • His failure to win the popular vote made his election feel contestable, even illegitimate.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Among them, pyramid schemes, membership fee fakes, credit repair cons, dubious health offers, fictitious diploma schools and illegitimate gaming services.
    Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Natural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natural. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

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