colonial

play

adjective co·lo·nial \ kə-ˈlō-nē-əl , -nyəl \

Definition of colonial

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

—

colonialize

play \kə-ˈlō-nē-ə-ˌlīz, -nyə-ˌlīz\ transitive verb

—

colonially

adverb

—

colonialness

noun

See colonial defined for English-language learners

See colonial defined for kids

Examples of colonial in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of colonial from the Web

Some see a repeat of Italy’s 2008 deal in which Silvio Berlusconi, then the prime minister, pledged to provide Libya with $200 million a year in investments over 25 years as reparations for his nation's colonial abuses in the country.

— kevin sieff, Washington Post, "Europe is trying to cut the flow of migrants from Africa. It won’t be easy.," 31 Aug. 2017
Keba says on his Facebook page that French-speaking nations in West and central Africa should mint their own currencies to free themselves from economic bondage imposed by the former colonial ruler.

— pauline bax, Bloomberg.com, "Cash-Burning Activist Sets West Africa's Social Media on Fire," 29 Aug. 2017
The records of colonial traders who operated in Indian country show that 80 percent of the charges to government accounts were for gifts of alcohol to the natives.

— Longreads, "America’s First Addiction Epidemic," 29 Aug. 2017
Yasin was born and brought up in the northern territory that has been a source of tension, and the cause of three wars, between India and Pakistan ever since 1947, when the colonial British quit the subcontinent.

— TIME.com, "Capturing Conflict, and Covering Home, in Kashmir," 29 Aug. 2017
The Seven Sisters’ That nickname refers not to flesh-and-blood siblings, but to backwoods colonial churches.

— tim funk, charlotteobserver, "6 things to know about faith in Charlotte," 27 Aug. 2017
Yale also consulted faculty and experts, who concluded the carving depicted a scene of warfare and colonial violence against Native Americans.

— dave collins, courant.com, "Yale To Remove Carving With Gun Pointed At Native American," 22 Aug. 2017
The name of the far-right group, which has chapters in all 50 states, comes from its mistaken belief that only 3% of the colonial population fought in the American Revolution.

— daniel bice, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bice: GOP lawmaker defends talk to anti-government group," 16 Aug. 2017
Post-colonial literature has always been concerned with how a character’s sense of self is confused (or outright destroyed) by the process of their culture being replaced by another.

— reid mccarter, GQ, "Finally, a video game that understands that uses history for meaning and context rather than just window dressing.," 16 Aug. 2017

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.

First Known Use of colonial

1768

colonial Synonyms

Synonyms

gregarious, sociable, social

Antonyms

nonsocial, solitary

Related Words

associational, consociational, subsocial; dependent, parasitic (also parasitical), precocial, symbiotic

Near Antonyms

autonomous, independent, self-contained, semiautonomous, semi-independent; altricial, self-subsistent, self-sufficient, self-supporting, self-sustaining; lone, recluse, reclusive, unsociable

colonial

noun

Definition of colonial

1 :a member or inhabitant of a colony

2 a :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

See colonial defined for English-language learners

Examples of colonial in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of colonial from the Web

Lourenco, 63, is a former governor who fought in the war against Portuguese colonial rule as well as the long civil war that ended in 2002.

— Washington Post, "Angola ruling party wins election; defense minister to lead," 25 Aug. 2017
Lourenco fought against Portuguese colonial rule and served in the civil war that erupted after independence between the Marxist MPLA government and the Unita rebel group, which was backed by then U.S. President Ronald Reagan and South Africa.

— henrique almeida, Bloomberg.com, "Angolans Wonder If 'J-Lo' as President Can Close Wealth Divide," 25 Aug. 2017
Lourenco, 63, is a former governor who fought in the war against Portuguese colonial rule as well as the long civil war that ended in 2002.

— Washington Post, "Angola ruling party wins election; defense minister to lead," 25 Aug. 2017
Lourenco, 63, is a former governor who fought in the war against Portuguese colonial rule as well as the long civil war that ended in 2002.

— christopher torchia, The Seattle Times, "Angolan election commission says ruling party has big lead," 24 Aug. 2017
White nationalists see post-colonial human history through an uber-Darwinistic lens.

— joshua adams, Longreads, "What Thomas Jefferson Taught Me About Charlottesville and America," 17 Aug. 2017
This is how colonial powers behaved, and many post-colonial leaders learned the lesson well.

— The Economist, "Without governments, would countries have more inequality, or less?," 13 July 2017
The Sewanee Cook Book offers another kind of biography, this time of community as well as colonial ephemera.

— heather richie, Southern Living, "Keeping Receipts: The New Life of Old Cookbooks," 11 July 2017
Nice hat, Mr. K!—and how strange the usually rambunctious American colonials are about his visit.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "You Are Now Free to Have No Health Insurance," 7 July 2017

First Known Use of colonial

1798

colonial Synonyms

Synonyms

frontiersman, colonist, colonizer, homesteader, pioneer, settler

Related Words

explorer, pathfinder, trailblazer; bushranger, mountain man, woodsman

COLONIAL Defined for English Language Learners

colonial

play

adjective

Definition of colonial for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a colony
: owning or made up of colonies
: of or relating to the original 13 colonies forming the United States

colonial

noun

Definition of colonial for English Language Learners

: a two-story house built in a style that was first popular in the U.S. during the American colonial period (before 1776)
: a person who is part of a colony

COLONIAL Defined for Kids

colonial

play

adjective co·lo·nial \ kə-ˈlō-nē-əl \

Definition of colonial for Students

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

2 often capitalized :of or relating to the original 13 colonies that formed the United States

colonial

noun

Definition of colonial for Students

:a member of or a person living in a colony

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colonial

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COLONIAL Defined for English Language Learners

colonial

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colonial

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colonial

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