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 birds have strutted the streets for hundreds of years, arriving in the 1600s with some of the earliest European colonists, according to the New York Public Library. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

The Wampanoags continue to fiercely defend the ponds that fed their ancestors while seeking to reclaim their indigenous values and land taken from them after European colonists arrived in the 17th century. —Mary Forgione, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Elon Musk’s dumbest idea is to send human colonists to Mars, columnist Michael Hiltzik argues. —Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

Set between the events of Scott’s original Alien film and director James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens, Alien: Romulus follows a group of young mining colonists who are desperate to leave their dreary planet to seek a brighter future. —Tim Lammers, Forbes, 12 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