Synonyms of colonial

colonial 1 of 2

adjective

kə-ˈlō-nē-əl 

as in social

tending to group with others of the same kind

colonial organisms

Synonyms & Similar Words

• social
• parasitic
• associational
• dependent
• gregarious
• sociable
• consociational
• symbiotic
• subsocial
• precocial

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• solitary
• independent
• nonsocial
• autonomous
• semiautonomous
• self-contained
• self-sufficient
• semi-independent
• altricial
• reclusive
• lone
• unsociable
• self-sustaining
• self-supporting
• self-subsistent
• recluse

colonial

2 of 2

noun

as in settler

a person who settles in a new region

European colonials who built coffee plantations in East Africa

Synonyms & Similar Words

• settler
• pioneer
• colonist
• colonizer
• frontiersman
• homesteader
• explorer
• pathfinder
• mountain man
• woodsman
• bushranger
• trailblazer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of colonial

Adjective

From 1937 to 1939, the muralist José Clemente Orozco filled the Hospicio's central chapel with 57 frescoes that trace Mexico's history from colonial savagery through the brutalizing hope of industrialization. — Michael Snyder, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Aug. 2026

Manuel spoke with Variety about how the film relates to the colonial past of the country, and the metaphorical symbolism of the golf course. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026

Noun

That equity is not merely associated with chattel slavery, but also with African objects that were stolen during European colonial rule. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026

Burbank’s environmental determinism was tangled with a settler-colonial impulse to imbue the wild landscape with Western ideals of control and organization to not only manage but also improve populations, in both plants and humans. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2026