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

The alternative is a slow and painful death for the denizens of our fair city, one in which taxes steadily escalate while services continually deteriorate. —Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025

The world Malloy and Friendly inhabited had no appeal for high-end denizens of New York City. —Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

In the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, along Frenchman Street, the scene is slightly different, with mostly local denizens popping in and out of jazz clubs. —Ira Porter, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2025

Most Bay Area denizens take 101 north, then dart across to Mendocino or Sea Ranch, making one their sole destination. —John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025

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