as in settlers
a person who settles in a new region
the first colonizers of Easter Island must have faced untold challenges
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of colonizers
In the past, thousands of the indigenous Great Andamanese people living in the region died after contact with British colonizers led to an epidemic of measles and syphilis.
—
Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 7 June 2026
The language first reached the continent in the early twentieth century and gained popularity during the postcolonial era as a politically neutral replacement for the still-persistent languages of European colonizers.
—Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
Seeing Pocahontas poised on a chair, wearing an elegant hat and holding a quill pen, the English had assumed that Native Americans would embrace the colonizers’ ways.
—Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 25 May 2026
Stressing the omnipresent influence of the Portuguese colonizers, chorizo cooks with red kidney beans and black-eyed peas in a spunky chile-vinegar tomato sauce in a Goan adaptation of Brazilian feijoada.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 11 May 2026
To early European colonizers, sassafras appeared to be a medical miracle.
—Kari Traylor, JSTOR Daily, 30 Apr. 2026
Angola’s Portuguese colonizers were emboldened by 15th-century directives from the Vatican that authorized them to enslave non-Christians.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Crossing Thousands of Miles of Open Ocean Hawaiian leaf-roller moths are among the most successful long-distance colonizers of any native Hawaiian animals, according to the research.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
According to the research, Hawaiian leaf-roller moths are among the most successful long-distance colonizers of any native Hawaiian animals.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 7 June 2026
The language first reached the continent in the early twentieth century and gained popularity during the postcolonial era as a politically neutral replacement for the still-persistent languages of European colonizers.
—Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
Seeing Pocahontas poised on a chair, wearing an elegant hat and holding a quill pen, the English had assumed that Native Americans would embrace the colonizers’ ways.
—Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 25 May 2026
Stressing the omnipresent influence of the Portuguese colonizers, chorizo cooks with red kidney beans and black-eyed peas in a spunky chile-vinegar tomato sauce in a Goan adaptation of Brazilian feijoada.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 11 May 2026
To early European colonizers, sassafras appeared to be a medical miracle.
—Kari Traylor, JSTOR Daily, 30 Apr. 2026
Angola’s Portuguese colonizers were emboldened by 15th-century directives from the Vatican that authorized them to enslave non-Christians.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Crossing Thousands of Miles of Open Ocean Hawaiian leaf-roller moths are among the most successful long-distance colonizers of any native Hawaiian animals, according to the research.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
According to the research, Hawaiian leaf-roller moths are among the most successful long-distance colonizers of any native Hawaiian animals.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonizers
Noun
-
Elk were once an abundant source of food in the Alleghenies, both for the Seneca and for the settlers streaming in.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Rights groups say Bedouin herding communities are especially vulnerable as settlers seize remote land and outposts multiply, while new Israeli laws tighten control over Palestinians and critics fault global powers for inaction.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Stark Future is considered one of the pioneers in this segment with its Varg motocross and Varg EX enduro models.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 03,
New Atlas,
3 June 2026
-
Even the pioneers of the city’s experimental-dance scene in the sixties and seventies, so open-minded and self-aware in some respects, mostly forgot to think about race.—
Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Savannah was under British occupation in the fall of 1779, when colonists planned an attack to retake the city with help from French allies.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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When other nearby ports were under British control during the Revolutionary War, the colonists were able to use Washington for resupply efforts.—
Caroline Eubanks,
Travel + Leisure,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonizers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonizers. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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