Standard Lemma guide

aboriginal

adj · name · noun · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪ.nəl/
  • Gloucestershire Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪ.nəl/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.nəl/
  • Australian: /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪ.nəl/
  • CMU ARPABET: AE2 B ER0 IH1 JH AH0 N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

First according to historical or scientific records; original; indigenous; primitive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Living in a land before colonization by foreigners.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Alternative letter-case form of Aboriginal

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginal peoples, or their languages.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Alternative letter-case form of aboriginal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

name

Meaning 6

Any of the native languages spoken by Australian aborigines.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

An animal or plant native to a region.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Alternative letter-case form of Aboriginal

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

An Aboriginal inhabitant of Australia or other land.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: potentially offensive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

Alternative letter-case form of aboriginal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective

Meaning 11

characteristic of or relating to people inhabiting a region from the beginning

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • native Americans
  • the aboriginal peoples of Australia

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: native

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective

Meaning 12

of or pertaining to members of the indigenous people of Australia

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an Aboriginal rite

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • aboriginal forests
  • primal eras before the appearance of life on earth
  • the forest primeval
  • primordial matter
  • primordial forms of life

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: primal, primeval, primaeval, primordial

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

an indigenous person who was born in a particular place

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the art of the natives of the northwest coast
  • the Canadian government scrapped plans to tax the grants to aboriginal college students

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: native, indigen, indigene, aborigine

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

Narrower terms: Levantine, Mauritian, Filipino, Russian, Seychellois

15

noun

Meaning 15

a dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Aborigine, Abo, native Australian, Australian Aborigine

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ethnic group, ethnos, Australian, Aussie

History

Etymology

See Aboriginal.

From aborigine + -al, aborigine being from Latin ab origine (“from the beginning”).

Across languages

Translations

135 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: коренен (korenen) — original; indigenous
  • Bulgarian: местен (mesten) — original; indigenous
  • Bulgarian: туземен (tuzemen) — original; indigenous
  • Catalan: aborigen — original; indigenous
  • Chinese Mandarin: 土著 (tǔzhù, tǔzhuó) — original; indigenous
  • Dutch: inheems — original; indigenous
  • Dutch: inheemse — original; indigenous
  • Finnish: alkuperäinen — original; indigenous
  • French: indigène — original; indigenous
  • French: aborigène — original; indigenous
  • Galician: indíxena — original; indigenous
  • Georgian: აბორიგენული (aborigenuli) — original; indigenous
  • Georgian: ადგილობრივი (adgilobrivi) — original; indigenous
  • Georgian: ავტოქთონური (avṭoktonuri) — original; indigenous
  • Georgian: მკვიდრი (mḳvidri) — original; indigenous
  • German: eingeboren — original; indigenous
  • German: einheimisch — original; indigenous
  • Greek: ιθαγενής (ithagenís) — original; indigenous
  • Hindi: देशज (deśaj) — original; indigenous
  • Indonesian: pribumi — original; indigenous
  • Irish: bundúchasach — original; indigenous
  • Italian: aborigeno — original; indigenous
  • Japanese: 土着の (dochaku no) — original; indigenous
  • Kalmyk: уул (uul) — original; indigenous
  • Malayalam: ആദിവാസി (ādivāsi) — original; indigenous
  • Manx: bun-chummallagh — original; indigenous
  • Manx: bun-dooghyssagh — original; indigenous
  • Eastern Mari: абориген (aborigen) — original; indigenous
  • Polish: aborygeński — original; indigenous
  • Portuguese: aborígene — original; indigenous
  • Russian: тузе́мный (tuzémnyj) — original; indigenous
  • Russian: коренно́й (korennój) — original; indigenous
  • Russian: ме́стный (méstnyj) — original; indigenous
  • Russian: автохто́нный (avtoxtónnyj) — original; indigenous
  • Russian: абориге́нный (aborigénnyj) — original; indigenous
  • Sanskrit: देशज (deśaja) — original; indigenous
  • Serbo-Croatian: autohtono — original; indigenous
  • Spanish: aborigen — original; indigenous
  • Ukrainian: абориге́нський (aboryhénsʹkyj) — original; indigenous
  • Ukrainian: тубі́льний (tubílʹnyj) — original; indigenous
  • Ukrainian: автохто́нний (avtoxtónnyj) — original; indigenous
  • Ukrainian: тузе́мський (tuzémsʹkyj) — original; indigenous
  • Vietnamese: thổ dân — original; indigenous
  • Dutch: autochtoon — living in a land before colonization
  • Finnish: alkuperäinen — living in a land before colonization
  • Greek: ιθαγενής (ithagenís) — living in a land before colonization
  • Serbo-Croatian: starosjedilački — living in a land before colonization
  • Danish: aborigin — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Finnish: aboriginaali- — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Finnish: aboriginaalien — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Finnish: alkuperäiskansan — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • French: indigène — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • French: aborigène — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Galician: aborixe — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Georgian: აბორიგენული (aborigenuli) — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • German: indigene — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • German: einheimische — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Italian: aborigeno — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Norwegian Bokmål: aboriginsk — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Polish: aborygeński — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Portuguese: aborígene — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Portuguese: aborígine — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Serbo-Croatian: абориџински — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Serbo-Croatian: aboridžinski — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Ukrainian: абориге́нський (aboryhénsʹkyj) — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Ukrainian: тубі́льний (tubílʹnyj) — of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals
  • Dutch: inheems — animal or plant native to a region
  • Finnish: alkuperäislaji — animal or plant native to a region
  • Greek: ιθαγενής (ithagenís) — animal or plant native to a region
  • Hindi: आदिवासी (ādivāsī) — animal or plant native to a region
  • Portuguese: aborígene — animal or plant native to a region
  • Portuguese: aborígine — animal or plant native to a region
  • Bulgarian: абориге́н (aborigén) — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Cherokee: ᏅᏁᎯᏯ (nvnehiya) — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Danish: aboriginer — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Dutch: Aboriginal — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Esperanto: aborigeno — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Finnish: aboriginaali — original inhabitant of Australia
  • French: aborigène — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Greek: Αβορίγινας (Avoríginas) — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Korean: 원주민 (wonjumin) — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Norwegian Bokmål: aborigin — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Norwegian Bokmål: aboriginer — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Nukunu: thuṛa — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Polish: Aborygen — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Polish: Aborygenka — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Portuguese: aborígene — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Portuguese: aborígine — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Russian: абориге́н (aborigén) — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Serbo-Croatian: Абориџин — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Spanish: aborigen — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Spanish: aboriginal — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Ukrainian: абориге́н (aboryhén) — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Ukrainian: тубіле́ць (tubilécʹ) — original inhabitant of Australia
  • Bulgarian: абориге́н (aborigén) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Bulgarian: тузе́мец (tuzémec) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Czech: domorodec — original inhabitant of any land
  • Dutch: inboorling — original inhabitant of any land
  • Dutch: inboorlinge — original inhabitant of any land
  • Finnish: alkuperäinen asukas — original inhabitant of any land
  • Finnish: alkuasukas — original inhabitant of any land
  • French: indigène — original inhabitant of any land
  • German: Eingeborener — original inhabitant of any land
  • German: Eingeborene — original inhabitant of any land
  • German: Ureinwohner — original inhabitant of any land
  • German: Ureinwohnerin — original inhabitant of any land
  • German: Einheimischer — original inhabitant of any land
  • German: Einheimische — original inhabitant of any land
  • Greek: ιθαγενής (ithagenís) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Greek: αυτόχθων (aftóchthon) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Hungarian: bennszülött — original inhabitant of any land
  • Hungarian: őslakó — original inhabitant of any land
  • Italian: aborigeno — original inhabitant of any land
  • Norwegian Bokmål: aborigin — original inhabitant of any land
  • Norwegian Bokmål: urinnbygger — original inhabitant of any land
  • Norwegian Bokmål: urinnvåner — original inhabitant of any land
  • Portuguese: aborígene — original inhabitant of any land
  • Portuguese: aborígine — original inhabitant of any land
  • Russian: абориге́н (aborigén) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Russian: тузе́мец (tuzémec) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Russian: автохто́н (avtoxtón) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Russian: коренно́й жи́тель (korennój žítelʹ) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Russian: уроже́нец (urožénec) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Russian: инородец (inorodec) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Serbo-Croatian: абориџин — original inhabitant of any land
  • Serbo-Croatian: aboridžin — original inhabitant of any land
  • Serbo-Croatian: домородац — original inhabitant of any land
  • Serbo-Croatian: domorodac — original inhabitant of any land
  • Spanish: aborigen — original inhabitant of any land
  • Swedish: urinvånare — original inhabitant of any land
  • Ukrainian: абориге́н (aboryhén) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Ukrainian: тубі́лець (tubílecʹ) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Ukrainian: автохто́н (avtoxtón) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Ukrainian: тузе́мець (tuzémecʹ) — original inhabitant of any land
  • Ukrainian: уродже́нець (urodžénecʹ) — original inhabitant of any land
Real reading context

aboriginal in complete knowledge articles