NATURAL Synonyms: 440 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

natural 1 of 2

adjective

ˈna-ch(ə-)rəl

Definition of natural

as in realistic

closely resembling the object imitated the diorama featuring stuffed birds and plastic plants actually looked very natural

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in born

being such from birth or by nature from his first visits to the wading pool, we could tell that our little boy loved water and was a natural swimmer

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as in biological

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 intrinsic

being a part of the innermost nature of a person or thing her natural talent for music first became apparent when, unbidden, she started banging on a toy piano

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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 genuine

free from any intent to deceive or impress others she was completely natural in expressing her feelings for him, unafraid of how they would be received

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as in human

relating to or characteristic of human beings it's only natural to make mistakes—it's part of being human

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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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legitimate

as in great

having, characterized by, or arising from a dignified and generous nature his late grandfather was as kind and natural a man as one could ever hope to meet

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as in barbarian

not civilized a natural man, unacquainted with the blessings and burdens of society

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natural

2 of 2

noun

as in phenomenon

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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

The company denied Sky’s voice was an imitation of Johansson, saying another professional actor used her own natural speaking voice for it. — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Unlike conventional nuclear reactors, City Labs develops microscopic power sources that generate electricity and heat through the natural decay of tritium. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Noun

This SheaMoisture bestseller is an oldie but goodie, and has historically been a popular pick for beginner naturals (speaking from experience). — Eden Stuart, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2026 In the bawdy comedic scene, Tommy wakes up au natural in his hotel bed after an amorous evening with his wife, Angela Norris (Ali Larter), to find a shocked housekeeper in the hotel room. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for natural

Recent Examples of Synonyms for natural

Adjective

The latest 104-qubit simulation, however, accounts for realistic hardware noise, allowing researchers to examine how errors affect magic state cultivation.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Washington should work with allies’ defense industries and military planners to come up with a new division of labor, set force levels, and create a realistic timetable to meet their goals.

— Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of realistic

Adjective

At least one case of congenital measles led to a death; the first death reported in the current outbreak was in a newborn baby boy, who died immediately after birth while his mother was severely ill with measles.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
For years, Mullen was all too aware of a problem with his neck, a congenital fusion in a facet joint.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of congenital

Adjective

Furthermore, many conventional devices use brittle, rigid materials that cannot easily stretch or conform to irregular surfaces, limiting their suitability for soft robotics and seamless biological integration.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026
The study, led by researchers at the University of Nottingham and Tohoku University in Japan, examined wild Euhadra snails to understand the biological mechanisms behind this phenomenon, known as chirality.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of biological

Adjective

Because the short strikes (11/17) are narrower than the long strikes (10/18), a massive directional move will cause the short options' intrinsic value to expand faster than the long options can offset it in the short term.

— Michael Khouw, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Late hours and quick eats are intrinsic to Jawnie’s owners, both of whom grew up in Pennsylvania before moving to Denver and launching their rental business in 2019.

— Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of intrinsic

Adjective

So Nvidia and some of its largest customers proposed a new design, skipping several conversions and distributing power inside the building not through typical AC but through DC, the native form the chips want anyway.

— Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
And in some areas, hunting is an important tool for managing animal populations and reducing damage to native ecosystems.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of native

Adjective

Researchers from the Archaeological Legacy Institute and Purdue University embarked this month on the Taraia Object expedition in Nikumaroro, an uninhabited coral atoll in the Phoenix Islands belonging to the Republic of Kiribati.

— Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
An uninhabited volcanic island in the Southern Ocean used to be home to the largest penguin colony in the world — but not anymore.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of uninhabited

Adjective

As such, the greatest obstacle to genuine transformation is getting stuck in the planning cycle.

— Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Notably, the new action comes about a month after UMG had sued DistroKid in September, claiming the company has helped empower bad actors to upload AI slop songs at mass scale, diluting the royalty pool for genuine artists.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of genuine

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“Natural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/natural. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of natural

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noun

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