IMMIGRANT Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

immigrant 1 of 2

noun

ˈi-mə-grənt

Definition of immigrant

as in migrant

one that leaves one place to settle in another America was founded by immigrants and they have been its lifeblood ever since

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

immigrant

2 of 2

adjective

as in expatriate

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of immigrant

Noun

Usha Chilukuri was born in 1986 to Indian Hindu immigrants and grew up in an upper-middle-class San Diego suburb with her younger sister, Shreya. — Kate Andersen Brower, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026 Ruth Fortune, a Haitian immigrant and mayoral appointee on the Hartford Board of Education, went first. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Earlier this year, some people held at the jail launched a hunger strike over the conditions, according to Cosecha, an immigrant advocacy group. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 Music, chatter and applause filled the Capitol’s front lawn as dozens of Service Employees International Union members from across California gathered Wednesday morning to advocate for immigrant protections. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for immigrant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for immigrant

Noun

Moroccan and Spanish authorities blamed social media rumors and human smuggling networks for the surge, while migrants cited unemployment and low wages as major factors.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Magnets for internal migrants and gateways for immigrants, such places tend toward heterogeneity, with spaces for marginalized communities—a pattern that is not just a characteristic of the modern era.

— Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of migrant

Adjective

This is a team assembled from immigration, diaspora, and expatriate ambition, coached by an outsider who can see what insiders missed.

— Michael Morris, Time, 1 July 2026
The Stoli Group is run by Russian expatriate billionaire Yuri Shefler, who also lives in Switzerland.

— Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Definition of expatriate

Noun

The decision could have broad implications for descendants of Italian emigrants, particularly in North and South America, where large Italian diaspora communities have ancestral ties to Italy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
González has witnessed the ties between Mexico and its emigrants abroad evolve over four decades, starting as a young consular officer in the administration of Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

— Alfredo Corchado, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

Definition of emigrant

Adjective

The British international banking group was among the first foreign banks to start operating out of GIFT City in 2020.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
But intelligence officials previously told The Associated Press that Russia’s security services are now more brazen in their choice of targets, going after Russian activists and foreign supporters of Ukraine as well as military defectors.

— Claudia Ciobanu, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of foreign

Noun

But concerns about Israel’s ability and willingness to rein in the settlers remain even among evangelicals, who are among the staunchest Christian supporters of Israel.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Qusra siege reflects broader violence The standoff in Qusra began Sunday when dozens of settlers arrived and blocked the doors to the three houses, preventing occupants from leaving, according to the families inside.

— Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of settler

Adjective

First Officer Becca Bang (Ariana DeBose) fights to survive a hostile alien past.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Trump’s order seeks to apply that principle to people designated as alien enemies under federal law, including members of certain foreign terrorist organizations.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of alien

Noun

The fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail in Charlotte’s trendy South End neighborhood, just south of uptown, thrust the city into the national spotlight last August.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Aug. 2026
The 12 refugee seats, critics argue, are not simply a constitutional problem but an additional lever through which politically loyal candidates can be brought into the assembly.

— Aqil Shah, Time, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of refugee

Browse Nearby Words

immethodical

immigrant

immigrants

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Style

“Immigrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immigrant. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of immigrant

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

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