native

/ˈneɪtɪv/

adjective

  1. Born in a particular place or connected with a place by birth.

    B1

    usually before a noun

    • "She is a native New Yorker."B1
    • "The guide showed us plants that are native to the island."B2

  2. Describing a person's first or original language, or someone who has spoken a language from childhood.

    B1

    usually before a noun

    • "He is a native English speaker."A2
    • "This website was translated by a native speaker."B1
    • "Her pronunciation is almost indistinguishable from that of a native speaker."C1

  3. Existing naturally in a particular region rather than being introduced from somewhere else.

    B2

    usually before a noun

    • "These trees are native to Australia."B1
    • "The project aims to protect native wildlife from invasive species."B2

noun

  1. A person who was born in a particular place.

    B1

    countable

    • "She is a native of Boston."B1
    • "As a native of the region, he knows the local traditions well."B2

  2. A person who belongs to the original population of a place; this use can sound dated or insensitive in some contexts.

    B2

    countabledated; context-dependent

    • "The museum presents the history of the island's native peoples."B2
    • "Modern writing often uses the specific name of an Indigenous people instead of native."C1

Common mistakes

  • a native speaker of English language→a native speaker of English

    Use the language name directly after “speaker of.”

Collocations

native speakernative languagenative countrynative landnative tonative species

Word family

nativelynativeness