denizen

noun

den·​i·​zen ˈde-nə-zən 

1

: inhabitant

denizens of the forest

2

government : a person admitted to residence in a foreign country

especially : an alien (see alien entry 2 sense 1b) admitted to rights of citizenship

3

: one that frequents a place

nightclub denizens

Synonyms

• familiar
• frequenter
• habitué
• habitue
• haunter
• rat
• regular

Examples of denizen in a Sentence

one of those muscle-bound denizens of the gym

the polar bear is an iconic denizen of the snowy Arctic

Recent Examples on the Web

And the dialogue is largely functional, Burnett never building to some grand thesis, refusing to reduce Watts to inner-city clichés or its denizens to doe-eyed saints. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025

But every so often, the denizens of the test kitchen receive a story premise that blows up our usual process (in a good way!). —Kendra Vaculin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025

Here, find out what happened to the original denizens of 1313 Mockingbird Lane after The Munsters ended. —John Russell, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025

That sentiment alone told Joe Whitney, a nearly 30-year resident of the city who helped start Rooted in Littleton, that his fellow denizens felt they weren’t being listened to enough. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English denizeine, from Anglo-French denisein, denzein inhabitant, inner part, inner, from denz within, from Late Latin deintus, from Latin de- + intus within — more at ent-

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

denizen

noun

den·​i·​zen ˈden-ə-zən 

: inhabitant

especially : a person, animal, or plant found in a particular region or environment