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natural ability

natural ability

8 3.4
A talent someone is born with that they do not learn
  • noun
  • /ˈnæʧərəl əˈbɪləti/
translation icon : habilidad natural
  • And, like music, it requires a degree of natural ability that not everyone possesses.
  • natural ability and talent
  • natural ability leads to success
  • children have a natural ability

And I'd, I could find stuff and I had this natural ability to find things.

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Examples

  • I'm a big believer in natural ability, and a lot of that is genetics.

  • Values can be influenced by family, society, peers, and schooling, as well as by a person's natural abilities.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I need to make money, but I have a natural ability to make crazy stuff that people love.

  • Listen, Tony, you have to have a natural ability.

  • Some people have a natural ability in an area; some people need to practice.

    Blog text (16)
  • But today cognitive science, psychology, and common sense tell us that all children have a natural ability to make music.

    Academic text (1993)
  • I relied on my natural ability and did not work to develop those strengths.

    Blog text (31)
  • You can't rely on natural ability alone.

  • Human beings are born with a natural ability to imagine, to think big, to be completely unbound and unlimited.

  • Many successful athletes credit their achievements to their natural ability to excel in sports.

Synonyms

talent
vsnatural ability
866 1.2

An ability someone has naturally to do something well

emphasizes being present from birth rather than acquired skill
genius
vsnatural ability
601 4.3

Very great natural talent for one area of work or study

is the normal range of inborn skill, not exceptional level
gift
vsnatural ability
585 1.8

A natural ability to do something well, like music or languages

focuses on being born with the quality not on practice
a knack for
vsnatural ability
76 3.6

A natural ability to do something well

is broader, referring to inborn skill not only a clever trick
aptitude
vsnatural ability
42 4.2

A natural talent for learning or doing something well

is about inherited skill rather than specific readiness to learn
natural talent
vsnatural ability
12 2.9

An ability someone is born with to do something well

is a general inborn quality not limited to one activity
raw talent
vsnatural ability
9 3.4

A natural ability that is strong but not yet trained

is the birth origin, not the unpolished or raw state
endowment
vsnatural ability
6 6.4

A natural quality or ability someone is born with

stresses birth origin rather than learned development
giftedness
vsnatural ability
1 6.0

A very strong natural ability in one or more areas

refers to the single inborn quality rather than the overall state
touch for
vsnatural ability
1 6.1

A natural ability to do something well

is the overall inherited quality rather than just a feel
natural endowment
vsnatural ability
4.9

An ability a person has from birth

is the plain idea of being born with a skill
inherent aptitude
vsnatural ability
7.0

A natural ability present from birth in people or animals

is the simple idea of being born with a skill

Antonyms

7 4.9

An ability you learn through practice

How Skilled

natural ability
8 3.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

natural + ability

The meaning 'an inherent talent' is directly and compositionally derived from 'natural' (inborn) + 'ability' (skill), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. This is a literal, non-idiomatic combination with clear cross-linguistic parallels, making it immediately comprehensible rather than metaphorical or unpredictable.

Etymology

Natural ability comes from the idea that natural means from nature and ability means a skill, like a plant that grows without help. So, it means 'a talent someone is born with'.