colonist

noun

col·​o·​nist ˈkä-lə-nist 

plural colonists

see usage paragraph below

: a member or inhabitant of a colony (see colony sense 1)

the Jamestown/Plymouth colonists

especially : a person who migrates to and settles in a foreign area as part of a colony

Honeybees aren't native to North America; early colonists brought them over from Europe to provide honey and beeswax.

—Paige Embry

Usage of Colonist and Colonizer

Colonist and colonizer both have meanings closely tied to the word colonialism in its use referring to domination of a foreign people or area. Colonist, which comes directly from the noun colony, is the more common—and usually more neutral—term. Colonizer, which comes from the verb colonize, is used especially in contexts in which the exploitative nature of colonialism is being discussed or evoked; in phrases like "colonizer mindset/mentality" it implies a benefit from or even active participation in that exploitation.

Synonyms

• colonial
• colonizer
• frontiersman
• homesteader
• pioneer
• settler

Examples of colonist in a Sentence

British colonists settled the area in the 18th century.

over time the colonists began to sense that they were becoming a people unto themselves

Recent Examples on the Web

The Mi’kmaq taught the colonists their nutritional and medicinal know-how that essentially kept them alive. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024

Pumpkins were gifted to the colonists at the original Thanksgiving, so having pumpkins on the menu is symbolic of America's origins. —Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 16 Nov. 2024

Romulus follows young colonists who come across a derelict space station and encounter the horror of the alien creature that is the enduring star of the franchise. —Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Aug. 2024

But white colonists’ aversion to arming enslaved people prevented many Black Americans from joining the Patriot cause. —Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

colonist

noun

col·​o·​nist ˈkäl-ə-nəst 

1

: a person who lives in a colony

2

: a person who takes part in founding a colony