natural element

Periodic table entry

A natural element is one of the basic substances found in nature—earth, water, air, and fire in classical systems, or any of the chemical elements occurring without human synthesis: oxygen, gold, carbon.

The phrase often emphasizes what exists without artificial intervention: The cabin was built to blend with the natural elements.

It also refers to weather and environmental forces: exposed to the natural elements.

Related
  • airGaseous envelope surrounding Earth
  • fresh airUnenclosed outdoor atmosphere
  • open skyUnobstructed atmosphere above
  • earthSoil or electrical grounding
  • soilGround matter for planting

hydrogen · oxygen · sunlight · carbon · iron · ether · gold · uranium · periodic table · silver · silicon · minerals · spirit · chaos · raw power · destruction · calcium · rainfall

Categories
Opposites
composition/complexity

natural elementcompound

Combined into one

chemical compound · molecule · mixture · alloy · composite

origin

natural elementsynthetic element

Laboratory-produced atomic species

artificial element

category type

natural elementsynthetic material

Human-made substance, not natural

industrial chemical

Family

natural, nature, naturally, naturalness, naturalize, naturalization, naturalized, unnatural, unnaturally

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G