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 Marschall’s initial assessment was that the tree’s life probably began before European settlers arrived in the region, at a time when the mountain was populated by autonomous Indigenous nations that later became part of the Creek Confederacy. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 For decades, Jewish settlers put up fences to protect themselves from the active threat of Palestinian terrorism. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026 Israeli settlers opened fire on olive harvesters in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, killing a Palestinian officer who responded to the attack and wounding 16, Palestinian officials said. — Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026 Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar blamed the souring relations on Britain’s Labour government, which has condemned Israeli military actions in Gaza, placed sanctions on settlers and recognized a Palestinian state. — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026 Since then, the Israeli government has built scores of settlements that are home to well over 500,000 Jewish settlers. — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for settlers

Noun

The original model for the kind of adversarial speech the First Amendment aims to protect, McGrane said, was the speech American colonists used against the British.

— Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 15 Oct. 2026
The animals reached Spain during the Roman Empire and were later brought to what is now Mexico by Spanish colonists in the 1500s.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of colonists

Noun

Although without Netanyahu’s charisma, Eisenkot, the son of Jewish immigrants from Morocco, is widely regarded by voters as a man of integrity.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
The area's flooring industry has long depended on immigrant labor, and many families include a mix of citizens, legal residents, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and undocumented immigrants.

— DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of immigrants

Noun

New Atlas noted at the time that Samsung was following the path already established by pioneers such as Oura, but its arrival was a clear sign that smart rings were no longer just an experimental niche.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Industry pioneers such as SpaceX’s Starlink have developed optical inter-satellite links for defense and commercial constellations, deploying large numbers of laser terminals across Starlink and Starshield.

— Rohit Jha, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of pioneers

Noun

Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel every year through Djibouti and across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait towards Gulf countries in search of safety and economic opportunities, the IOM said in its statement.

— JAMEY KEATEN, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
On Tuesday, Spain's royals will attend a ceremony at a Muslim cemetery in the city to memorialize the more than 140 migrants who died attempting to cross in July.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of migrants

Noun

Baksheng leaves behind a family and then creates a new one with other Teochew emigrants at an inn run by a feminist daughter, Zia Lamgi (Li Sitong) who dodges a revolving door of suitors.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of emigrants

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“Settlers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/settlers. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of settlers

noun

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