ab·orig·i·nal
ˌa-bə-ˈrij-nəl 
-ˈri-jə-nᵊl
1
: being the first or earliest known of its kind present in a region
aboriginal forests
aboriginal rocks
2
: of or relating to the people who have been in a region from the earliest time : of or relating to aborigines
aboriginal languages
aboriginal tribes/customs/art
aboriginally
adverb
2
often capitalized
: aborigine sense 2
Synonyms
Examples of aboriginal in a Sentence
Adjective
the aboriginal peoples of Australia
the aboriginal peoples of northern Alaska are known as Inupiats, which in their language literally means “real people”
Recent Examples on the Web
Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Their father, Eric, is a licensed lawyer and an aboriginal land claims researcher.
—Mckinley Franklin, Peoplemag, 3 Feb. 2024
Luhrmann collaborated with up-and-coming, um, aboriginal, and First Nation pop artists to incorporate their music as a form of honoring the aboriginal tradition of storytelling through song.
—Concetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2023
An amalgamation of two existing hotels – both completely renovated – the resort sits on the land of the Larrakia Nation, which takes center stage in the décor, with aboriginal art all over the resort (including vast outdoor murals) and villas named after Territorians.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024
Before the colonization of Australia, many aboriginal people buried dingoes with rites indistinguishable from those used for humans.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
As Jackman’s Drover tells the audience early in the film and series, the aboriginal practice when someone dies is to never speak their name again.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 26 Nov. 2023
The only race not found in Africa is the aboriginal Australians and their relatives.
—Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023
The forests also are culturally important to several million people who call them home, such as Canada’s aboriginal communities.
—David J. Cooper, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2023
The Economist, 5 July 2018
These people are too far away to show a direct link between them and the Clovis in such a way that indicates the Clovis being the aboriginals of South America.
—Adam Rutherford, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2017
The students paddled and portaged through the park, following the routes once traveled by aboriginals and French-Canadian voyageurs.
—Daily Southtown, 30 Aug. 2017
Our criminals built nice roads in Australia but aboriginals keep using them as a bed.
—Alan Feuer and Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 2 June 2017
Pay up, and the British Navy will keep the Frenchmen, pirates, and aboriginals away.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 15 May 2017
Adjective
Eric is an indigenous rights researcher Eric is a researcher on aboriginal land claims, per The New York Times.
—Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Their father, Eric, is a licensed lawyer and an aboriginal land claims researcher.
—Mckinley Franklin, Peoplemag, 3 Feb. 2024
Luhrmann collaborated with up-and-coming, um, aboriginal, and First Nation pop artists to incorporate their music as a form of honoring the aboriginal tradition of storytelling through song.
—Concetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 28 Nov. 2023
An amalgamation of two existing hotels – both completely renovated – the resort sits on the land of the Larrakia Nation, which takes center stage in the décor, with aboriginal art all over the resort (including vast outdoor murals) and villas named after Territorians.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024
Before the colonization of Australia, many aboriginal people buried dingoes with rites indistinguishable from those used for humans.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
As Jackman’s Drover tells the audience early in the film and series, the aboriginal practice when someone dies is to never speak their name again.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 26 Nov. 2023
The only race not found in Africa is the aboriginal Australians and their relatives.
—Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023
The forests also are culturally important to several million people who call them home, such as Canada’s aboriginal communities.
—David J. Cooper, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2023
Noun
Those clauses were removed in the 1960s, leaving no mention of aboriginals at all.
—The Economist, 5 July 2018
These people are too far away to show a direct link between them and the Clovis in such a way that indicates the Clovis being the aboriginals of South America.
—Adam Rutherford, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2017
The students paddled and portaged through the park, following the routes once traveled by aboriginals and French-Canadian voyageurs.
—Daily Southtown, 30 Aug. 2017
Our criminals built nice roads in Australia but aboriginals keep using them as a bed.
—Alan Feuer and Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 2 June 2017
Pay up, and the British Navy will keep the Frenchmen, pirates, and aboriginals away.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 15 May 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aboriginal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near aboriginal
Cite this Entry
“Aboriginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aboriginal. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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