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 story, historically told from the white pilgrim's perspective, is that colonists shared a meal with the indigenous Wampanoag people to give thanks for a successful fall harvest. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024

Instead, the Mars that Bradbury's colonists discover is a dreamlike planet with blue skies and water, a breathable if thin atmosphere, and noble but doomed indigenous inhabitants. —Theunis Bates, theweek, 28 Aug. 2024

The film centers on a group of young space colonists, led by Cailee Spaeny’s Rain, who accept a mission to scavenge a derelict space station as a ticket off their impoverished planet. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 13 Aug. 2024

The first colonists would encounter a barren landscape without water or breathable atmosphere, bathed in deadly solar and galactic radiation from which Earthbound humans are protected by our planet’s atmosphere and magnetic field. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 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