as in settlers
a person who settles in a new region
European colonials who built coffee plantations in East Africa
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Recent Examples of colonials
About 1870, pajamas surfaced in the Western world as sleeping attire for men, after returning British colonials brought back with them the pajamas worn in India.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Contemporary colonials have been popular for some time and continue attract buyers.
—James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
The rest of the colonials quit the field, gathering at a tree line close by.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2025
Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Contemporary colonials have been popular for some time and continue attract buyers.
—James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
The rest of the colonials quit the field, gathering at a tree line close by.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonials
Noun
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The fatal shooting is the latest in a surge of increasingly brazen and violent attacks against Palestinians, waged by Israeli settlers and, at times, by soldiers as well.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
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Much of this influence played a role in what would become the dialect of the South more generally as Scots Irish settlers and their descendants spread into the backcountry of the Upper and, a bit later, the Lowland South.—
Valerie Fridland,
Big Think,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Commissioners McSlavkin and Ella Cross both questioned a historical mural in the tunnel, which includes controversial pioneers John Sutter and Peter Burnett, during the meeting.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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The musician was born in Los Angeles and was a third-generation creative; his grandparents Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky were pioneers of Yiddish theater, while his dad Ted Thomas was a producer at the Mercury Theater Company in New York.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That exhibit looks at India through the eyes of colonists and corporations.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
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Paul Revere and other messengers on that night gave the colonists a chance to resist the British troops at the battles of Lexington and Concord.—
William Lambers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonials.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonials. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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