au naturel

Unadapted borrowing from French au naturel (“in the natural state; cooked plainly”), from au (“at the; in the; to the”) + naturel (“natural”)^[1] (ultimately borrowed from Latin nātūrālis (“of or relating to nature”), from nātūra (“natural world, nature”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship)). Nātūra is derived from nāscor (“to be born; to grow, spring forth”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget; to give birth; to produce”)) + -tūra (suffix forming action nouns denoting activities or their results).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əʊ næt͡ʃʊˈɹɛl/, /-tjʊ-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌoʊ ˌnætəˈɹɛl/, [-ɾə-], /-t͡ʃə-/

• Audio (General American); /ˌoʊ ˌnæt͡ʃəˈɹɛl/:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛl
• Hyphenation: au na‧tur‧el

au naturel (not comparable)

1. In a natural state; without any artificial change; natural; also, done in a way to appear natural.
   2. Of a person: not wearing makeup and with one's natural hair colour.

      Synonym: all-natural

      This is my au naturel look. How do you like it?

      • 1827, [Benjamin Disraeli], chapter XV, in Vivian Grey, volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, book V, page 303:

        [A]t his age, people of his country have odd prejudices. He may not make up; and he might feel a little offended. To say the truth, I think it is au naturel. There is a grey tint under the eye, which I don't think that any modern colours could have produced—perfectly Ludovico, perfectly. If he do make up, I should like very much to know where he gets his colour: […]

      • 2024 October 3, Katie Berohn, Kathleen Hou, quoting Troy Surratt, “But Really, is JD Vance Wearing Eyeliner?”, in Elle‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: Hearst Magazine Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 April 2026:

        With his [James David Vance's] old-fashioned views on gender roles, I imagine that it would take an act of God for him to even agree to be patted down with a powder puff to avoid shine on camera. It is my belief that he is au naturel.

   4. Of a person (especially a woman): having untrimmed pubic hair.

      She prefers to keep her private parts au naturel.

      • 2018, August McLaughlin, “Girl Boner Anatomy”, in Girl Boner: The Good Girl’s Guide to Sexual Empowerment, Eagle, Ida.: Amberjack Publishing, →ISBN:

        "There's nary a pubic hair in sight in most porn," wrote Cindy Gallop in Make Love Not Porn, "which puts a whole lot of grooming pressure on women and is actually rather depressing for those men who like women au naturel."

        Quoting from Cindy Gallop (2013), Make Love Not Porn: Technology’s Hardcore Impact on Human Behavior, New York, N.Y.: TED Conferences, →ISBN.

      • 2022, Anna Lou Walker, “Anatomy of the Vagina”, in The Little Book of Vaginas: Everything You Need to Know, Lanham, Md.: Cleis Press, →ISBN:

        Type "pubic hair" into a search engine and the suggested queries are extremely revealing: "pubic hair removal cream," […] The skin surrounding your vagina is extremely sensitive, and one of the main benefits of rocking your pubic hair au naturel is that it provides a fluffy cushion against harsh friction during sex, preventing painful chafing to your nether regions—ouch!

2. Of food: prepared or served raw or very simply cooked.
   • 1817 November, Un Vieux Celibataire [pseudonym], “Letters of an Old Bachelor. No. I.”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume II, number VIII, Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, printers, →OCLC, page 192, column 2:

     [F]ew of the French travellers who have lately visited our Isle appear to have been much gratified with their trip. They in general speak with great contempt of our national partiality for roast beef and potatoes "au naturel."

4. (sometimes humorous) Of a person: in a state of not wearing clothes; in the nude, naked.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:naked

   Bella was au naturel for that photo session.

   • 1948 August, Aldous Huxley, “The Script”, in Ape and Essence, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 82:

     And now here is Loola—Loola without the least pretension to education or good breeding, Loola au naturel with a musky redolence which, on second thought, has something really rather fascinating about it.

au naturel (not comparable)

2. In a natural state; without any artificial change; naturally; also, in a way to appear natural.
   2. Of the action of a person: in a manner without makeup and with one's natural hair colour.
      • 2013, Laura Lascarso, Counting Backwards, New York, N.Y.: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, →ISBN, page 134:

        Well, few of us are blessed with flawless complexions such as yours, so if you want to go au naturel, that's fine by me.

      • 2014 October, Daryl Wood Gerber, Stirring the Plot, mass-market edition, New York, N.Y.: Berkley Prime Crime, →ISBN, page 121:

        Why did some women eschew makeup? It seemed to be a recent trend for her. Had her religious fiancé requested she go au naturel?

   4. Of the action of a person (especially a woman): in a manner with untrimmed pubic hair.
4. Of the preparation or serving of food: in a raw or very simply cooked manner.

   Our chef insists on preparing this cut au naturel.

6. (sometimes humorous) Of the action of a person: in a naked manner; without clothes; in the nude, nakedly.

   Bella loved posing au naturel for the artist.

• natural
• naturism

• IPA^(key): /o na.ty.ʁɛl/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

au naturel

1. naturally
2. in the nude
3. most simply, most plainly (in the plainest or simplest manner)
4. (food) without seasoning, flavouring or dressing

   thon au naturel ― tuna-fish in brine

5. (heraldry) proper