denizen

American  

[den-uh-zuhn] / ˈdɛn ə zən /

noun

1. an inhabitant; resident.

2. a person who regularly frequents a place; habitué.

   the denizens of a local bar.

3. anything adapted to a new place, condition, etc., such as an animal or plant not indigenous to a place but successfully naturalized.

4. British Law. an alien admitted to residence and to certain rights of citizenship in a country: this legal designation has been obsolete since the first half of the 20th century.

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verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly British. to admit (an alien) to residence and certain rights of citizenship in a country.

denizen British  

/ ˈdɛnɪzən /

noun

1. an inhabitant; occupant; resident

2. an individual permanently resident in a foreign country where he enjoys certain rights of citizenship

3. a plant or animal established in a place to which it is not native

4. a naturalized foreign word

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verb

1. (tr) to make a denizen

Other Word Forms

• denization noun
• denizenation noun
• denizenship noun
• undenizened adjective

Etymology

Origin of denizen

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English denesyn, denisein, from Anglo-French denzein, denszein “(the) one within,” from deinz, dens, denz “inside, on the inside” (from Old French dedens, dedenz; dedans ) + -ein, adjective suffix (from Latin -āneus; -an, -eous ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, a former Wall Street denizen, was a force behind the agreement.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

It was befitting that the album cover would be created by longtime Los Feliz denizen and artist Shepard Fairey, who completed his work the day Haskins reached out to him.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

I'm a lifelong denizen of several campuses, and I never felt comfortable hearing how ready these folks seemed with a diagnosis of life at American universities.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2024

In the new Yorgos Lanthimos film “Kinds of Kindness,” a character played by Emma Stone recounts a dream in which she was the denizen of a bizarre world.

From New York Times • May 20, 2024

Another denizen of Miami’s canals, the huge snake was easily twelve feet long, with a spotted green-and-brown body as thick as Natalie’s leg.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• dweller
• inhabitant
• occupant
• resident