SETTLERS Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

settlers

noun

plural of settler

as in colonists

a person who settles in a new region settlers learning to live in peace with the natives

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in immigrants

one that leaves one place to settle in another in 1889 Jane Addams, in an effort to provide Chicago's latest wave of settlers with much-needed services, founded the city's first settlement house

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of settlers But concerns about Israel’s ability and willingness to rein in the settlers remain even among evangelicals, who are among the staunchest Christian supporters of Israel. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Itamar Weil, an Israeli human rights activist from the group Bnei Avraham, said the army had threatened to use tear gas against the activists and forced them to leave, even as settlers remained in the valley below Qusra. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026 An American’s home is among those besieged by Israeli settlers. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026 Breed histories generally point instead to local cats interbreeding with longhaired cats brought to the region by sailors or settlers. — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 Qusra siege reflects broader violence The standoff in Qusra began on Sunday when dozens of settlers arrived and blocked the doors to the three houses, preventing occupants from leaving, according to the families inside. — Sam Metz, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 Israeli soldiers and border police arrived at the hilltop on Wednesday, dismantled the settlers’ tent and began trying to remove the settlers from the area. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 Only later, during America's early history, did governments formally legalize what settlers had already established in practice. — Rainer Zitelmann, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for settlers

Noun

Like much of the valley, Gilroy stands on land that was first occupied by the native Amah Mutsun, then taken over by Spanish colonists and later became Mexico.

— Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
The ancient route was first traveled by hunter-gatherers, before being used by Indigenous traders, Inca messengers, Spanish colonists, and railway workers, among others.

— Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026

Definition of colonists

Noun

Across the country, immigrants have stayed home from work, kept children out of school and avoided stores, churches and other places that once anchored daily life.

— Maria Santana, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Hundreds of immigrants lawfully present in Connecticut are slated to lose their Medicare coverage by January, the latest federal cutback that’s spurred some lawmakers and advocates here to call for state intervention.

— Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of immigrants

Noun

By the 1980s, the generation that had once marched on the Pentagon had become the yuppie class—homeowners, 401(k) pioneers, the cohort that built the modern investor class.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
The true pioneers are jonesing for a jab of the stuff, and a raft of entrepreneurs are jostling to become the go-to providers of this bleeding-edge therapy.

— Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of pioneers

Noun

The Tribune Editorial Board recently highlighted Cincinnati’s readiness plan, which anticipates attracting climate migrants in the decades ahead.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
The groups blame migrants for high unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of migrants

Noun

The decision could have broad implications for descendants of Italian emigrants, particularly in North and South America, where large Italian diaspora communities have ancestral ties to Italy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
González has witnessed the ties between Mexico and its emigrants abroad evolve over four decades, starting as a young consular officer in the administration of Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

— Alfredo Corchado, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

Definition of emigrants

Noun

Its floors filled with bunk beds, a prison and hospital, all deep underground, have been repurposed over the years as overflow housing for refugees, asylum seekers and the homeless.

— Rob Schmitz, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026
Steven Spielberg’s personal masterpiece is the saga of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish refugees in Poland during the Holocaust.

— Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of refugees

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“Settlers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/settlers. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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noun

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