I. nat ‧ u ‧ ral 1 S2 W1 /ˈnætʃ ə rəl/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ nature , ↑ naturalist , ↑ naturalism , ↑ naturalization , ↑ naturalness , the supernatural, ↑ natural , ↑ naturist , ↑ naturism ; adverb : ↑ naturally ≠ ↑ unnaturally , ↑ naturalistically , ↑ supernaturally ; adjective : ↑ natural ≠ ↑ unnatural , ↑ supernatural , ↑ naturalistic ; verb : ↑ naturalize ]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin naturalis , from natura ; ⇨ ↑ nature ]
1 . NATURE existing in nature and not caused, made, or controlled by people ⇨ artificial , man-made :
the study of the natural world (=trees, rivers, animals, plants etc)
an area of spectacular natural beauty
natural disasters (=things such as floods or ↑ earthquake s )
death from natural causes
the need for natural light in offices
2 . NORMAL normal and as you would expect OPP unnatural , abnormal :
At the time, accepting his offer had seemed the most natural thing in the world.
it is natural (for somebody) to do something
It’s not natural for a child of his age to be so quiet.
It’s only natural that he should be interested in what happens.
It was a perfectly natural (=not surprising) mistake to make.
3 . BEHAVIOUR a natural tendency or type of behaviour is part of your character when you are born, rather than one that you learn later:
Babies have a natural fear of falling.
4 . ABILITY having a particular quality or skill without needing to be taught and without needing to try hard:
a natural musician
Cheryl has a natural elegance about her.
his natural ability with figures
5 . RELAXED behaving in a way that is normal and shows you are relaxed and not trying to pretend:
Be cool, be natural.
6 . PARENT/CHILD [only before noun]
a) someone’s natural parent or child is their real parent or child, who is ↑ biological ly related to them:
An adopted young person has the right to trace his natural parents.
b) old-fashioned if someone is the natural child of someone, their parents were not married to each other:
He was rumoured to be the natural son of a duke.
7 . REAL not connected with gods, magic, or ↑ spirit s OPP supernatural :
I’m sure there’s a perfectly natural explanation.
8 . natural justice/law justice that is based on human reason alone
9 . FOOD with nothing added to change the taste:
natural yoghurt
10 . MUSIC technical a musical note that is natural has been raised from a ↑ flat by one ↑ semitone or lowered from a ↑ sharp by one semitone ⇨ sharp , flat
—naturalness noun [uncountable] :
Manufacturers now choose to emphasize the naturalness of the ingredients used in their products.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ natural existing in nature and not caused, made, or controlled by people:
a natural lake
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natural light
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the earth's natural resources
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We only use natural ingredients in our products.
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his natural hair colour
▪ wild used about flowers, plants, and animals that are not controlled by people. Also used about areas of land where there are no humans:
We found some wild strawberries.
|
wild horses
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wild open spaces
▪ pure used about food, drink, or materials that have not had anything added to them:
pure orange juice
|
pure new wool
▪ organic used about fruit, vegetables, meat etc produced without using chemicals:
organic carrots
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organic milk
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organic beauty products
▪ unspoiled ( also unspoilt British English ) a place that is unspoiled is still beautiful because no one has built roads or buildings on it:
It was a pleasant unspoilt village.
|
The countryside is remarkably unspoiled.
▪ untouched [not before noun] a place that is untouched has not been affected by human activity:
There are few forested areas of the world that remain untouched by humans.
▪ virgin [only before noun] virgin forest or land is still in its natural state and has not been spoiled or changed in any way by humans:
Large areas of virgin rainforest will be protected from destruction.
|
He bought 14,000 acres of virgin land in Ontario.
■ COLLOCATIONS CHECK
▪ wild flowers/plants/places
▪ organic food/vegetables/products
▪ unspoiled countryside/island/beauty
▪ virgin forest/land
II. natural 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ nature , ↑ naturalist , ↑ naturalism , ↑ naturalization , ↑ naturalness , the supernatural, ↑ natural , ↑ naturist , ↑ naturism ; adverb : ↑ naturally ≠ ↑ unnaturally , ↑ naturalistically , ↑ supernaturally ; adjective : ↑ natural ≠ ↑ unnatural , ↑ supernatural , ↑ naturalistic ; verb : ↑ naturalize ]
1 . be a natural to be good at doing something without having to try hard or practise:
People think I am a natural, but I’ve had to work at it.
2 . technical
a) a musical note that has been changed from a ↑ flat to be a ↑ semitone higher, or from a ↑ sharp to be a semitone lower
b) the sign in written music that shows this kind of musical note