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 Japanese house presented the seventh iteration of the Atelier high jewelry collection plus its fourth collaboration with the Ritz Paris, with four chapters inspired by the hotel’s sparkling soirées, its iconic staircase or the style of its elegant denizens of the early 20th century. —Lily Templeton, WWD, 12 July 2024

The country defends its stance to critics claiming the levy and other mandatory tourist charges are elitist by listing the revenue’s many uses, from environmental and cultural preservation to free health care and education for its denizens. —Jessica Benavides Canepa, Robb Report, 11 July 2024

After weeks of food deprivation, and a mercurial island winter, the denizens of the Mamanuca Islands began to turn on each other; and Katzman, 32, says his body began to turn on itself in the form of nightly panic attacks. —Suzy Exposito, SPIN, 8 July 2024

Cameron had written a treatment of about 100 pages in 1994, but the visual effects technology to adequately bring the Na’vi denizens of Pandora to the screen (at least in Cameron’s mind) did not exist. —Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 July 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