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 crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty and terror. —Charlie Mason, TVLine, 18 Oct. 2024

The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2024

Dallas denizens, meanwhile, have several special locations screening classic movies, arthouse fare, film festival programs, and other eye-catching events. —Lisa Laman, IndieWire, 11 Oct. 2024

This isn’t the Miami of South Beach denizens, transplants dripping in wealth, taut young bodies supine in the brilliant sunlight. —Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 Sep. 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