Natuurlijk

Natuurlijk is a Dutch word with several related meanings. As an adjective it means natural or in accordance with nature; as an adverb it means naturally, in a natural way, or as expected. It can also function as an interjection meaning Of course. The word comes from nature (natuur) plus the suffix -lijk, and is cognate with German natürlich and English natural.

As an adjective, it inflects like other Dutch adjectives (usually adding -e before common nouns): for example natuurlijke bronnen (natural resources) or natuurlijke processen. In predicative use it can appear as "Het is natuurlijk" meaning "It is natural/obvious." As an adverb, it can mean naturally or obviously: "Het gebeurt natuurlijk snel" or "Dat is natuurlijk mogelijk." In speech, "Natuurlijk!" is a common stand-alone interjection meaning "Of course!"

In contemporary usage, natuurlijk is widely employed beyond strict naturalistic senses. In consumer language it often denotes "natural" in a marketing sense, but the term is less tightly regulated than "biologisch" (organic). The word also appears in idioms and fixed phrases, such as "natuurlijk wel" (surely) and "natuurlijk niet" (certainly not).

Cognates exist in other Germanic languages, such as German natürlich, which shares the same core meaning of natural or obviously so.