denizen

noun

den·​i·​zen ˈde-nə-zən 

1

: inhabitant

denizens of the forest

2

government : a person admitted to residence in a foreign country

especially : an alien (see alien entry 2 sense 1b) admitted to rights of citizenship

3

: one that frequents a place

nightclub denizens

Synonyms

• familiar
• frequenter
• habitué
• habitue
• haunter
• rat
• regular

Examples of denizen in a Sentence

one of those muscle-bound denizens of the gym

the polar bear is an iconic denizen of the snowy Arctic

Recent Examples on the Web

Thus Internet denizens compete to make the best, most authoritative or provocative recommendations. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024

No, no, no, crypto denizens cry, Gresham is wrong, good money, i.e. bitcoin drives out bad, i.e. dollars. —Clem Chambers, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

Onetime Westworld denizen Tessa Thompson will headline a series adaptation of Alice Feeney’s 2020 thriller novel, His & Hers, which has landed at Netflix with a six-episode order after being in development for more than four years. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 24 July 2024

Johnny Depp’s new film Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness will close out the Rome Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 26, and the denizens of The Eternal City can’t wait for the star to arrive. —Aldo Luigi Mancusi, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English denizeine, from Anglo-French denisein, denzein inhabitant, inner part, inner, from denz within, from Late Latin deintus, from Latin de- + intus within — more at ent-

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

denizen

noun

den·​i·​zen ˈden-ə-zən 

: inhabitant

especially : a person, animal, or plant found in a particular region or environment