as in populated
to supply with inhabitants
believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars
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Recent Examples of colonized
The eastern half of the island of Timor was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
—
Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
Del Toro’s character points out to DiCaprio that people like him—the indigenous, the colonized, the Zapatistas, the rebels in the hills of Cuba—have been fighting the American machine for several hundred years, which is only now being felt by those of liberal sentiment.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
The mine sits just north of the Duck Valley Reservation on the Sho-Pai’s homelands, an area their ancestors were forcibly removed from over a century ago when Europeans colonized the West and corralled them into the remote reservation with little resources on the Idaho-Nevada border.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 19 Aug. 2025
Today, the estuary is home to more than 120 otters and is the only one along the West coast that has been significantly colonized by southern sea otters.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
Vascular plants and animals first colonized the land, and the planet was never the same again.
—Interesting Engineering, 20 Dec. 2024
However, one lineage colonized Australia around 50 million years ago and evolved independently after the continent separated from Antarctica.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
By the time Dreyfus arrived, the trio of islands off the coast of French Guiana, part of the territory that France colonized in the 1640s, had long been collectively known as Devil’s Island.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 13 Dec. 2024
Carl Court / Getty Images Aliyev and others whose countries have developed more recently, many of which were colonized by the West, say they should not be punished economically for the past emissions of wealthier nations.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2024
Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
Del Toro’s character points out to DiCaprio that people like him—the indigenous, the colonized, the Zapatistas, the rebels in the hills of Cuba—have been fighting the American machine for several hundred years, which is only now being felt by those of liberal sentiment.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
The mine sits just north of the Duck Valley Reservation on the Sho-Pai’s homelands, an area their ancestors were forcibly removed from over a century ago when Europeans colonized the West and corralled them into the remote reservation with little resources on the Idaho-Nevada border.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 19 Aug. 2025
Today, the estuary is home to more than 120 otters and is the only one along the West coast that has been significantly colonized by southern sea otters.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
Vascular plants and animals first colonized the land, and the planet was never the same again.
—Interesting Engineering, 20 Dec. 2024
However, one lineage colonized Australia around 50 million years ago and evolved independently after the continent separated from Antarctica.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
By the time Dreyfus arrived, the trio of islands off the coast of French Guiana, part of the territory that France colonized in the 1640s, had long been collectively known as Devil’s Island.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 13 Dec. 2024
Carl Court / Getty Images Aliyev and others whose countries have developed more recently, many of which were colonized by the West, say they should not be punished economically for the past emissions of wealthier nations.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonized
Verb
-
Each of the first three hours that premiered Tuesday combine a case of the week — populated by impressively recognizable faces like Judith Light, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Jessica Simpson and Rick Springfield — with ongoing concerns about the main characters’ love lives.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
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For instance, the Bangladesh delta, one of the most fertile and densely populated areas in the world, is already experiencing problems, including salinity intrusion, rising sea levels and the loss of arable land.—
Pintu Kumar Mahla,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Yes, the actor inhabited some of Burt’s traits and flourishes, and his conservative style of lawyering came through.—
Sarah Weinman,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
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This wise, gentle character had been inhabited and portrayed by such eminent people.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonized. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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