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 town of Eureka, for example, was being sued by their former Chinese denizens for reparations. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 26 Nov. 2024

That circuit implemented much more solid tarping for Year 2 to discourage any non-ticketed viewers from sneaking a peek after many downtown denizens found a way to see stock cars for free in 2023. —Jeff Gluck, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024

Austin is once again a power broker in conservative presidential politics — and some of its denizens promise to play an important role in a potential new Trump administration. —Asher Price, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024

Not just because of the people — those famously funny, hospitable denizens. —Matt Goulding, Travel + Leisure, 24 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