How to Use aboriginal in a Sentence

aboriginal

adjective
  • No doubt, that’s how the loss of knotweed felt to aboriginal Americans, too.
    — Annalee Newitz, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2018
  • Many aboriginal leaders have come to view state treaties as more achievable than a federal one.
    — The Economist, 5 July 2018
  • His sisters are at a wedding, and his father is working the fields with his aboriginal farmhand.
    — Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Feb. 2023
  • Kevin's dad is dressed as an Aboriginal with two similar looking men behind him.
    — Michael Sebastian, Esquire, 1 May 2017
  • There were wrinkles now (my forehead looked like an aboriginal map); my skin had started to crepe; and some kind of wattle had appeared under my chin.
    — John Lahr, Esquire, 16 June 2016
  • The people who can train this citizen’s army of fire-setters are aboriginal Australians.
    — Richard Schiffman, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2020
  • They martial ancient aboriginal knowledge and use modern tools like drones to monitor the reef’s changes in coral as well as inland bushfires.
    — Ian Palmer, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2022
  • This expansion was at the expense of Aboriginal peoples.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
  • The island’s aboriginal, Gaelic, and French ancestry can still be felt.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 23 May 2018
  • Told in a mixture of aboriginal language and Chinese, the story tracks the aftermath of the death of a tribal elder.
    — Patrick Frater, Variety, 10 Feb. 2023
  • The woman is also described as aboriginal, around 5 foot tall, wearing a black beanie, white T-shirt, and maroon hoodie.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Yet many peoples who are now considered Indigenous don’t claim to be aboriginal—the Maasai among them.
    — Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Large numbers of Aboriginal people were killed in violent clashes with settlers.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
  • But in Alaska, there were no treaties, and thus no substantial extinguishment of aboriginal title.
    — Steve Haycox, Alaska Dispatch News, 13 July 2017
  • Once an ancient aboriginal trail, the path became a well-trodden byway for the workmen who built the Gilded Age mansions.
    — Amy Gamerman, WSJ, 24 May 2022
  • Many live along the line that separates north India from south, and regard themselves as the aboriginal inhabitants.
    — The Economist, 7 June 2018
  • As of this year, the Leaf River herd was the last to sustain sport hunting and aboriginal harvesting in Quebec.
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2017
  • And their one-size-fits-all approach lacks the kind of intimate seasonal and place-based knowledge that guided aboriginal fire management over the centuries.
    — Richard Schiffman, WSJ, 30 Sep. 2020
  • Molly befriends an aboriginal fugitive, Yadaka (Rob Collins), who knows a few secrets about her past.
    — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2022
  • The furry creatures hold a deep significance to the Aboriginal people and are often featured in stories, songs and art.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
  • Art around the world - Seniors are invited to learn a bit about Australia and create some Aboriginal dot paintings.
    — Joanne Berger Dumound/special To Cleveland.com., cleveland.com, 15 May 2017
  • The Anangu aboriginal people have considered Uluru a sacred place for thousands of years.
    — Danielle Pointdujour, Essence, 28 Oct. 2019
  • In recent years, Platt was known for earthy tableaux, often featuring Australian aboriginal women and printed on a fabric.
    — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019
  • By 1850 there were barely 3,500 Aboriginal people left in the colony.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Humans -- the Aboriginal population in Australia -- were also around at the time, Jones said.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Harris is a member of the Narragansett tribe, who are descendants of the aboriginal people of Rhode Island.
    — Jillian Eugenios, NBC News, 1 June 2022
  • Once an aboriginal title is recognized, its holders can collect formal and informal rents from those who seek to develop what is Indigenous land.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Stirling’s forces surrounded the unprepared Aboriginal people, taking positions across the river and at the fords above and below the camp.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The tour pairs astronomy with the cultural traditions tied to the night sky in Aboriginal communities.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
  • That’s because as much as 99% of their aboriginal territory is managed by the Forest Service.
    — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 11 Oct. 2020

Some of 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.

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