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a : produced, growing, living, or occurring natively or naturally in a particular region or environment b Indigenous or less commonly indigenous : of, relating to, or descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a place and especially of a place that was colonized Indigenous peoples/cultures Did you know?Indigenous derives from the Latin noun indigena (meaning "native"), which was formed by combining Old Latin indu (meaning "in" or "within") with the verb gignere (meaning "to beget"). Another term that comes from the indigena root is indigene, a word for a plant or animal that lives, grows, or originates in a certain area. Indigene is the older of the two; it has been used in English since the late 16th century, whereas the earliest documented use of indigenous occurred nearly 50 years later. Indigenous is used in scientific contexts to describe organisms and the habitats to which they belong, and in expressly non-scientific contexts, as in "emotions indigenous to the human spirit." Most often, however, it's used to describe the native inhabitants of a place.
Choose the Right Synonym for indigenous
indigenous applies to that which is not only native but which, as far as can be determined, has never been introduced or brought from elsewhere.
endemic implies being peculiar to a region.
a disease endemic in Africa
aboriginal implies having no known others preceding in occupancy of a particular region.
the aboriginal peoples of Australia
Examples of indigenous in a Sentence Viking invaders quickly subdued the indigenous population, known as the Picts. —Jared M. Diamond, Collapse, 2005 Unlike France, Italy relies on dozens of indigenous regional grape varieties for its prodigious range of wines. —Gerald Asher, Gourmet, September 2002 Though Gilded Age architecture was not indigenous to America, at least it was borrowed from belle epoque Europe, from which much of America's late-nineteenth-century culture evolved. —Robert D. Kaplan, An Empire Wilderness, 1988 There are several indigenous groups that still live in the area. the culture of the indigenous people of that country Recent Examples on the Web Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. Its experience with the Patriot has also convinced it of the necessity of investing in developing indigenous air defenses to deal with missile threats. —Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 There's a major split between indigenous populations in the northern parts of North America (Athabaskan populations), and everyone south of that, including all of Central and South America, as well as the ancient Clovis, New Mexico, population. —John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2025 Meanwhile, artifacts preserved along the Bad Pass Trail mark a route once used by indigenous communities over thousands of years. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025 Exodus’s symbolic power extends significantly to indigenous struggles as well. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for indigenous Word HistoryEtymology
Late Latin indigenus, from Latin indigena, noun, native, from Old Latin indu, endo in, within + Latin gignere to beget — more at end-, kin
First Known Use
1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Time Traveler
The first known use of indigenous was in 1632 Cite this Entry“Indigenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Last Updated: 4 May 2025 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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