colonial

adjective

co·lo·nial | \ kə-ˈlō-nē-əl

, -nyəl\

Definition of colonial

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony

2 often capitalized : of or relating to the original 13 colonies forming the United States: such as

a : made or prevailing in America during the colonial period colonial architecture

b : adapted from or reminiscent of an American colonial mode of design colonial furniture

3 : forming or existing in a colony colonial organisms

4 : possessing or composed of colonies a colonial empire

colonial

noun

Definition of colonial (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a member or inhabitant of a colony

2a : a product (such as a coin or stamp) made for use in a colony

b : a product exhibiting colonial style especially, often capitalized : a house built in the neoclassical style of the American colonial period

Other Words from colonial Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about colonial

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Other Words from colonial

Adjective

colonialize \ kə-ˈlō-nē-ə-ˌlīz

, -nyə-ˌlīz \ transitive verb

colonially adverb

colonialness noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for colonial

Synonyms: Adjective

gregarious, sociable, social

Synonyms: Noun

colonist, colonizer, frontiersman, homesteader, pioneer, settler

Antonyms: Adjective

nonsocial, solitary

Examples of colonial in a Sentence

Adjective

The country was a colonial power. a colonial nation and its colonial empire The book describes life in Colonial America. an example of colonial architecture The port had been very important in colonial times.

Noun

They bought a Colonial on a quiet street. increasing tension between colonials and the mother country

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Shene Estate Irish-style whisky and gin are served with a strong dose of colonial history at Tasmania’s most Instagrammable distillery, located on an historic 19th-century country estate. — Sarah Theeboom, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Next Country You Visit for Whisky? Australia," 16 Aug. 2018 The Salem Witch Trials were one of the darkest periods of American colonial history. — Rachel Kaufman, Smithsonian, "Welcome to Salem, Witches: “Timeless” Season 2, Episode 4, Recapped," 9 Apr. 2018 The entire house has been restored and updated, but its colonial charm still shines through. — Karen A. Avitabile, courant.com, "Property of the Week: 93 Shunpike Road, Cromwell," 26 Oct. 2017 Viewers will also get to see the breathtaking Wormsloe Historic Site, which was once the estate of Noble Jones, one of Georgia's colonial founders. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Hallmark's 'Love Takes Flight' Was Filmed in a Gorgeous Southern Town You Can Visit," 27 Apr. 2019 Hibiscadelphus wilderianus, of the Malvaceae or mallows family (along with cotton and cacao), was a casualty of colonial cattle farming on the island of Maui. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "You Can Now Smell a Flower That Went Extinct a Century Ago," 16 Apr. 2019 Thence up the hill to another amazing colonial house for the costumed Arara Ball, the brainchild of Pedro Igor Alcantara and Malu Barreto (wife of the celebrated artist Vik Muniz) of the Arara creative agency. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "Hamish Bowles Sambas His Way Through Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval," 22 Mar. 2019 Cartesiano, Puebla, Mexico This gorgeous property is located inside an old ceramics factory in the heart of Mexico's Puebla, set between brightly painted colonial homes and storefronts. — Betsy Blumenthal, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Hotels in the World: 2018 Readers' Choice Awards," 9 Oct. 2018 They were refreshed and put out, the pool restored, and sad alterations, like fluorescent tube lighting and colonial carriage lamps, were replaced with more thoughtful elements. — Steven Stolman, House Beautiful, "This Delightfully Retro Apartment Complex Has Been Home to Design Royalty," 6 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Related Old colonial powers are reasserting themselves, too. — Rachel Pannett, WSJ, "Americans Return to Guadalcanal, This Time to Face Beijing," 8 Sep. 2018 For a more intimate vibe, try the colonial-style La Veranda Resort, on a quieter stretch of Du’o’ng Đông Beach. — Peter Jon Lindberg, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Take Your Vietnam Trip to the Next Level," 20 Nov. 2018 During his long exile in France, Tin lived in a public-housing project in a neighborhood full of auto chop shops, phone stores and corner groceries selling spices and other foods from France’s old colonial empire. — Thomas A. Bass, WSJ, "A Vietnamese Patriot Dies Far From Home," 17 Aug. 2018 Martel’s movie benefits from not feeling lavish; for all the lush period details there’s nothing aspirational about the life depicted in Zama (a common trap for any satire about life atop a colonial empire). — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Zama Is a Surreal Satire of Colonialism," 19 Apr. 2018 Sociologist John Skrentny theorized that jus soli is strongest in the Western Hemisphere because of the region’s colonial history. — Amanda Erickson, The Seattle Times, "Trump says no other country has birthright citizenship. He’s wrong.," 30 Oct. 2018 Each of the 37 guest rooms have been individually designed in Spanish colonial fashion. — Jaimie Potters, ELLE Decor, "A Design Lover's Guide to Visiting San Miguel de Allende," 7 Jan. 2019 Luca and Cherri’s stories are disrupting dominant narratives that veil existing colonial power structures and wealth inequality. — Mary Lovell, Teen Vogue, "Bayou Bridge Pipeline Meets Resistance from the L’eau Est La Vie Camp," 16 Oct. 2018 While in Kenya, she was seen wearing a pith helmet — one that very closely resembles worn by colonial British soldiers in 19th-century Africa. — Marci Robin, Allure, "The Internet Is Comparing Melania Trump's Outfit to a Famous Fictional Nazi," 7 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'colonial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.