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

The colonial experience was often traumatic and certainly had its faults. — Alejandro Bermudez, WSJ, "Catholics Against Columbus," 24 Jan. 2019 These increasingly hostile and colonial measures place us in the same position as those previous lovers of freedom and self-determination who had to reject the authorities of distant, uninformed powers. — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Why Snap's Stock Price Snapped Back," 8 Feb. 2018 The central state of Guanajuato, home to the colonial city of San Miguel Allende, saw a 122-percent increase in homicides, which were running at a rate of about 40 per 100,000. — Mark Stevenson, The Seattle Times, "Mexico sees 16 percent rise in murders in 1st half of 2018," 23 July 2018 After decades teaching social studies at a California high school, Noel Correa moved to Nicaragua, buying a home on the outskirts of this colonial city. — John Otis |, WSJ, "‘Pack Up and Get Out’: Nicaraguan Unrest Shakes U.S. Expat Community," 20 July 2018 The island nation, which made the leap from colonial port to bustling metropolis, is widely seen as the smaller but wealthier of the two countries. — Annabelle Liang, The Seattle Times, "Singapore, Malaysia move to cool airspace and sea disputes," 8 Jan. 2019 While most other member-states ratified the treaty, France, embroiled in a bloody colonial war in Vietnam, kept holding out. — Yaroslav Trofimov, WSJ, "Is Europe Ready to Defend Itself?," 4 Jan. 2019 Maria Arena, a crew member of the colonial ship Dormire, wakes up to a horrific scene: most of the crew — including herself — has been murdered. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "The 13 best sci-fi books to check out on your new Kindle," 29 Dec. 2018 For the purposes of architecture, this meant a fervent revival of colonial architecture over the next several decades. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "Everything You Need To Know About Colonial Revival Design," 19 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The two reporters were charged with violating the Official Secrets Act, a law dating from British colonial times, and if convicted, could get up to 14 years in prison. — Frank Miles, Fox News, "Burma court rules Reuters reporters can face full trial; Haley decries decision," 10 July 2018 Picnic, walk, or run in this energizing environment, designed to replicate the pre-1836 landscape here prior to colonial times. — Sophie Davies, Condé Nast Traveler, "16 Best Parks in Sydney," 20 Mar. 2018 Exotic Modern—that features some spectacular examples of Paul Poiret’s clothing, including his own princely dressing robe, displayed in the house itself, and French colonial-era art in the modern adjunct. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "Hamish Bowles Makes the Most of His Trip to Tokyo for Valentino Pre-Fall—And Then Some," 2 Dec. 2018 One of the few luxury offerings, Victory Road Villas opened in 2017 on the bank of the Son River with seven apartments in a fusion of French colonial and Vietnamese styles (from $150 a night; victoryroadvillas.com). — Patrick Scott, WSJ, "A Blow-Your-Mind Adventure in Vietnam’s Caves," 13 Nov. 2018 Rodriguez also makes wry paper works that riff on painted colonial and pre-Columbian codices in contemporary ways. — Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, "Datebook: The force of fashion photos, underwater montages and Washington, D.C., feminized," 28 June 2018 Whenever someone wants to build in a seven-block area around the Templo Mayor, Barrera Rodríguez's team must excavate first, salvaging whatever remains of the colonial and especially Mexica city beneath. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "Feeding the gods: Hundreds of skulls reveal massive scale of human sacrifice in Aztec capital," 21 June 2018 Listed by William Pitt Sotheby’s Realty for $595,000, the gray colonial went on the market in March for $648,000. — Neil Vigdor, courant.com, "From The Governor's Residence To Essex: Malloys Make Offer On House," 10 June 2018 Bridges bought the two-story colonial with a sagging gutter and damage to the brick exterior in August 2017 for $1,000. — Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, "Evictions, flipping tarnish effort to turn squatters into homeowners," 26 Apr. 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.