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

• lover
• fan
• patron
• familiar
• rat
• habitué
• guest
• frequenter
• habitue
• 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

The action sports denizens would then snail mail the tapes to the agency. —Daniel Kaplan, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025

Its gloomy underworld is very much a vibe, brought to life through lush illustrations that imbue each of the insect-like denizens with cutesy personality without ever feeling overtly twee. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025

Seating 6,500 Piazza Grande denizens love big upscale entertainment movies with, if possible, a star in attendance. —Marta Balaga, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025

This posed a challenge for Hera, which is indeed not currently close to any denizens of the asteroid belt. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 8 Aug. 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