natural

Natural is an adjective with meanings tied to the existence or occurrence of phenomena in nature, as opposed to being man-made or artificial. In everyday use, natural describes things that occur in the physical world, are inherent in living beings, or are not deliberately altered by humans. It can also describe qualities that appear to follow the ordinary course of nature, rather than being contrived or synthetic.

The word derives from Latin naturalis, from natura, meaning birth, character, or nature, and entered English in the late medieval period.

In science and philosophy, natural is used to distinguish phenomena, processes, and substances that exist independently of human action from artifacts or engineered products. The term underpins the notion of natural laws, which are assumed to govern consistent regularities in the physical world. In biology, natural kinds are categories, such as water or gold, thought to reflect the structure of reality rather than human classification. In philosophy, naturalism holds that everything arises from natural properties and laws.

In everyday and commercial use, "natural" is often used in product labeling and marketing to imply absence of synthetic additives, though definitions vary by jurisdiction and standards can be vague. Critics argue that such usage can be misleading.

See also nature, natural history, natural philosophy, natural law, naturalism, natural selection.