English

Noun

Native American ‎(plural Native Americans)

1. An American Indian, especially in the United States.
2. (dated) A resident of the United States who is not an immigrant. (Often capitalized native American.)

Usage notes

• Native American is often used in place of American Indian, although some people insist on being called American Indians, and the latter is not usually considered offensive. In some cases, offense can be avoided by referring to Indians from Canada as First Nations people, Native Canadians, or Aboriginal peoples of Canada.
• The second definition can cause confusion, and the phrase Native-born American is preferred in ambiguous contexts. This definition was used by anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant political factions in the 1850s; they called themselves the "Native American Party" before settling on the names "Americans" and "Know-Nothings".

Synonyms

• see also Wikisaurus:Native American

Translations

Adjective

Native American ‎(comparative more Native American, superlative most Native American)

1. Of the American Indians.

Translations

See also

• First Nations
• First Peoples
• American Indian
• Amerindian
• Amerind
• Indian
• Euro-American