/ ˈnætʃrəl; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
IN NATURE
1.
[ only before noun ] existing in nature; not made or caused by humans :
natural disasters
the natural world (= of trees, rivers, animals and birds)
a country's natural resources (= its coal, oil, forests, etc.)
wildlife in its natural habitat
natural yogurt (= with no flavour added)
My hair soon grew back to its natural colour (= after being dyed ) .
The clothes are available in warm natural colours.
—compare supernatural
EXPECTED
2.
normal; as you would expect :
to die of natural causes (= not by violence, but normally, of old age)
He thought social inequality was all part of the natural order of things.
She was the natural choice for the job.
—compare unnatural
BEHAVIOUR
3.
used to describe behaviour that is part of the character that a person or an animal was born with :
the natural agility of a cat
the natural processes of language learning
It's only natural to worry about your children.
ABILITY
4.
[ only before noun ] having an ability that you were born with :
He's a natural leader.
RELAXED
5.
relaxed and not pretending to be sb/sth different :
It's difficult to look natural when you're feeling nervous.
PARENTS / CHILDREN
6.
[ only before noun ] ( of parents or their children ) related by blood :
His natural mother was unable to care for him so he was raised by an aunt.
7.
[ only before noun ] ( old use or formal ) ( of a son or daughter ) born to parents who are not married
SYN illegitimate :
She was a natural daughter of King James II.
BASED ON HUMAN REASON
8.
[ only before noun ] based on human reason alone :
natural justice / law
IN MUSIC
9.
used after the name of a note to show that the note is neither sharp nor flat . The written symbol is (♮) :
B natural
■ noun
PERSON
1.
natural (for sth) a person who is very good at sth without having to learn how to do it, or who is perfectly suited for a particular job :
She took to flying like a natural.
He's a natural for the role.
IN MUSIC
2.
a normal musical note, not its sharp or flat form. The written symbol is (♮).
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense having a certain status by birth ): from Old French , from Latin naturalis , from natura birth, nature, quality, from nat- born, from the verb nasci .