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

The ascent of so many tech denizens into government roles signals a shift from how things were run in the Biden administration, and could have major implications for policy on areas like AI safety, crypto, taxes and regulation. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2024

Still, Delhi’s prolonged high AQI reading has already taken a toll on many of its denizens. —Amala Balakrishner, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024

Over the past week alone, the drones — which are reportedly bigger than most recreational drones, according to some witnesses — have been seen by hundreds of Garden State denizens, with Governor Phil Murphy admitting that there were nearly 50 sightings alone last Sunday, NPR reports. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 2024

Today’s dupe culture doesn’t help, as digital denizens proudly flash their fakes on social media. —Adriana Lee, WWD, 26 Nov. 2024

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