as in social
tending to group with others of the same kind
colonial organisms
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in settler
a person who settles in a new region
European colonials who built coffee plantations in East Africa
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colonial
Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
One of Magnason’s first jobs was at the National Archives of Iceland, where he was surrounded by books about the old Norse gods, colonial histories, and even stories about elves.
—Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2026
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 13 Dec. 2025
Rolling out a simplified new labor code to replace the decades-old colonial one, the Indian government revealed and implemented on Friday a plan to consolidate 29 archaic regulations into four streamlined codes.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonial
Adjective
As the 1950s rolled into the 1960s, more and more African countries were freeing themselves from European colonial domination; this wave of liberation prompted the emergence of liberation movements in South Africa and anti-apartheid protests.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
One of Magnason’s first jobs was at the National Archives of Iceland, where he was surrounded by books about the old Norse gods, colonial histories, and even stories about elves.
—Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
Collections include Islamic art and architecture as well as objects from Italian colonial rule, World War II and Libya's independence, with galleries dedicated to the prehistoric period and ancient Libyan tribes, such as the Garamantes.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 13 Dec. 2025
Rolling out a simplified new labor code to replace the decades-old colonial one, the Indian government revealed and implemented on Friday a plan to consolidate 29 archaic regulations into four streamlined codes.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonial
Adjective
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The condition, which can cause a wide array of neurological problems, can result in seizures or difficulty with communication and social interaction, according to Medline.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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Bailey served as Randal Taylor’s assistant chief for four years between 2020 and 2024, a turbulent time for the department marked by social justice protests, an explosion in police action shootings and police staffing shortages.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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What settler stole this sacred land and is now charging me for these healing waters?—
Gaby Iori
January 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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And so Heyerdahl recast the island’s earliest settlers as members of a Caucasian race who had migrated from what is now Iraq or Turkey to the Americas and then across the Pacific, and who were tall, fair, blue-eyed, and bearded—not unlike Heyerdahl himself, as Pitts wryly observes.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His father, Carl Reiner, was a legendary pioneer in television who created the iconic 1960s comedy, The Dick Van Dyke Show.—
Steve Futterman,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
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Chua is often credited as one of the pioneers of modern mixology in Singapore.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Historically, it was meant to remedy something that was true in England, where the colonists came from, which was that the king or those empowered by the king could invade people’s homes at will.—
John E. Jones,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
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If these nanotubes are already there, future lunar colonists might not need to bring expensive sensors or battery components from Earth.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonial. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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