AUTOCHTHON Synonyms: 8 Similar and Opposite Words

autochthon

noun

ȯ-ˈtäk-thən

Definition of autochthon

as in aborigine

a member of the first people to inhabit a region the remains of a settlement once occupied by the island's autochthons are much older than previously thought

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for autochthon

Noun

The Guanches were aborigines of the Canary Islands.

— JP Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
The bill’s sponsors insisted their motives were not racist, although, one of the sponsors, state Sen. Scott Beason, later recorded himself referring to black people as aborigines while wearing a wire for the FBI.

— Kyle Whitmire, al, 22 Nov. 2019

Definition of aborigine

Noun

Those clauses were removed in the 1960s, leaving no mention of aboriginals at all.

— The Economist, 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

Definition of aboriginal

Noun

Before becoming a pro, Kelly, an Anaheim native, played his high school baseball with CHS before joining UC Riverside for college ball.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Dickinson, a Maryland native who spent much of his life in Delaware and Pennsylvania, was once regarded as among the most important and inspiring founders.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026

Definition of native

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.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Autochthon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autochthon. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of autochthon

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes