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
How many times has the Philippines been colonized or occupied?
—
Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Certain bacteria have colonized and persisted across his tissues for decades.
—CBS News, 3 June 2026
Built in the early 18th century some 90 years after the English colonized Antigua, the Georgian-era Nelson’s Dockyard has since remained in constant use.
—Duncan Madden, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Many trace their ancestry to countries that France colonized.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
When news of Israel’s secret outposts in Iraq’s desert emerged, Iraqis admonished their leaders as traitors, and the boisterous militiamen affiliated with the government as impostors for allowing their land to be colonized by an enemy.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
Education, from preschool to college, is being colonized by for-profit owners.
—Chris Murphy, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
These are not throwaway virtues in 2026, when the world is increasingly colonized by soulless vertical drama templates and is emptied of literacies, as seen when college students struggle to make any sense of the first seven paragraphs of a Dickens novel.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
For instance, the island of the Cyclopes could be modern Sicily, which was colonized by the Greeks in the 8th century bce, or Crete.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Certain bacteria have colonized and persisted across his tissues for decades.
—CBS News, 3 June 2026
Built in the early 18th century some 90 years after the English colonized Antigua, the Georgian-era Nelson’s Dockyard has since remained in constant use.
—Duncan Madden, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Many trace their ancestry to countries that France colonized.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
When news of Israel’s secret outposts in Iraq’s desert emerged, Iraqis admonished their leaders as traitors, and the boisterous militiamen affiliated with the government as impostors for allowing their land to be colonized by an enemy.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
Education, from preschool to college, is being colonized by for-profit owners.
—Chris Murphy, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
These are not throwaway virtues in 2026, when the world is increasingly colonized by soulless vertical drama templates and is emptied of literacies, as seen when college students struggle to make any sense of the first seven paragraphs of a Dickens novel.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
For instance, the island of the Cyclopes could be modern Sicily, which was colonized by the Greeks in the 8th century bce, or Crete.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonized
Verb
-
Because the wellness space is populated by the same people who share the original club, the boundaries between social life and self-care begin to dissolve.—
Nick Scott,
Robb Report,
13 June 2026
-
That five-year block in 2025-26 was populated by just two regulars (Vasily Podkolzin and Matt Savoie) along with the team’s top prospect (Ike Howard).—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
While the Rio Grande Valley here has been inhabited by Indigenous people going back 10,000 years, most of the petroglyphs were etched between 1300 and 1650.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
The attack took place in the municipality of Nahuatzen, a region inhabited by the Purepecha people where the powerful New Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonized. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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