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natural fiber

natural fiber

3 3.2
A material from plants or animals that people use to make cloth
  • noun
  • /ˈnæʧərəl ˈfaɪbər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fibra natural
  • I like to do either blends or natural fibers versus synthetics.
  • natural fibers like cotton
  • natural-fiber clothing
  • natural-fiber rugs

I like to do either blends or natural fibers versus synthetics.

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Examples

  • Natural fibers absorb more color, and it tends to stick longer.

    Blog text (1)
  • Generally speaking, natural fibers are most able to biodegrade.

  • Emma Rose, for example, wore all natural fiber.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Lots of natural fibers, of course.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • But costumes made with natural fibers?

    Blog text (22)
  • They're made of an unbreakable natural fiber known as raffia straw.

    Blog text (11)
  • Hemp and bamboo are both extremely absorbent natural fibers.

    Blog text (32)
  • House roofing, walls, furniture, baskets, hats, and mats can all be made from natural fiber and, in many instances, created into objects of considerable beauty.

    Academic text (2014)
  • We always wear natural fibers and use good quilting cottons for backpacks or skirts; they wash fine.

    Blog text (18)
  • Wear non-restrictive clothing of natural fiber to allow your skin to breathe and help reduce moisture loss.

Antonyms

synthetic fiber
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A fiber made using chemicals, not from plants or animals

How Synthetic

synthetic fiber
  • Specialized
1 4.0
man-made fiber
  • Specialized
1 3.7
natural fiber
  • Specialized
3 3.2

Surface Forms

natural fiber singular

Morphology

natural + fiber

The meaning 'a fiber obtained from plants or animals' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'natural' (not artificial) with 'fiber' (a filament used to make yarn or fabric). This simple adjective + noun compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Natural fiber: The name natural + fiber shows the idea clearly — natural means from nature and fiber is a thin thread, so it creates the image of a thread 'from plants or animals'. That's why the term means a material used for clothes and other things that is 'not made by people' but comes from nature.