Natal is most often used in medicineThe field of treating illness and injuries with drugs and procedures., biologyThe scientific study of living things and their processes., and formal writing to describe something connected with birth. It can also be a place name, including a region in South Africa and a city in Brazil. In an older, rare sense, it can refer to the buttocksThe two round parts of the body at the back below the waist..
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈneɪtəl/
Easy pronunciation: NAY-tuhl (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable: NAY-tuhl.
Use this for the adjective meaning connected with birth.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Natal Meaning
connected with birth
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: relating to or accompanying birth
Example: The baby was monitored closely for any natal complications.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Natal
Meaning 2
a region in South Africa
Part of speech: noun
Definition: a region of eastern South Africa on the Indian Ocean
Example: They traveled through Natal during their holiday.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- kwazulu-natal — The supplied source points to the modern place name, though it is not a true synonym in normal usage.
Meaning 3
a city in Brazil
Part of speech: noun
Definition: a port city in northeastern Brazil
Example: Natal is one of the major cities in northeastern Brazil.
Meaning 4
related to the buttocks
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: of or relating to the buttocks
Example: This sense is rare and mainly found in medical or anatomical language.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Natal Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- birth-related
- birth
- congenital
place name: a region in South Africa
- KwaZulu-Natal
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not confuse natal with native. Natal means connected with birth, not simply born in a place.
- Do not assume natal is a general synonym for pregnancy or newborn; it specifically means related to birth or birth itself in formal contexts.
- Do not treat the place-name uses as ordinary descriptive synonyms of the adjective.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does natal mean?
Natal usually means relating to birth, especially in formal or medical writing.
What are the synonyms of natal?
For the birth-related sense, good synonyms include birth-related, congenital, and birth in some contexts. Place-name uses do not have direct everyday synonyms.
Is natal a common word?
It is a real word, but it is fairly formal and is much less common than words like birth-related or congenital.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-25. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
