as in social
tending to group with others of the same kind
colonial organisms
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in settler
a person who settles in a new region
European colonials who built coffee plantations in East Africa
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colonial
Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
In his verdict, Justice Anthony Onovo of the Enugu High Court found the British colonial administration liable for the killings and ruled that the British government should also tender formal apologies to the victims.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 13 Dec. 2025
Rolling out a simplified new labor code to replace the decades-old colonial one, the Indian government revealed and implemented on Friday a plan to consolidate 29 archaic regulations into four streamlined codes.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonial
Adjective
But under British rule in the early 1900s, the region declined as the colonial government invested heavily in neighboring Singapore, which is separated from Johor by a narrow strait.
—Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
In his verdict, Justice Anthony Onovo of the Enugu High Court found the British colonial administration liable for the killings and ruled that the British government should also tender formal apologies to the victims.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
Collections include Islamic art and architecture as well as objects from Italian colonial rule, World War II and Libya's independence, with galleries dedicated to the prehistoric period and ancient Libyan tribes, such as the Garamantes.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 13 Dec. 2025
Rolling out a simplified new labor code to replace the decades-old colonial one, the Indian government revealed and implemented on Friday a plan to consolidate 29 archaic regulations into four streamlined codes.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonial
Adjective
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It is supposed to be central to our political, social and personal considerations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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The latrines formed part of the Scholastica Baths, the city’s largest bathing complex, capable of accommodating up to 1,000 people, and an important social center.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The horror-Western follows a settler family on a perilous journey across the Kalahari Desert in the mid-1800s.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
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But new research published Sunday in the journal suggests these settlers formed seafaring communities that existed for at least as long as the area’s polynya—a technical name for unfrozen water amid sea ice—indicating that humans have long had a hand in shaping the dynamic Arctic ecosystem.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Ivy Queen Reggaeton icon and pioneer Ivy Queen has performed with Bad Bunny on multiple occasions, with the rapper crediting the Queen of Reggaeton as a major inspiration.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
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Along with coaches George Halas, Clark Shaughnessy, and Ralph Jones, Luckman was a pioneer in the T Formation motion, with three running backs lined up behind the quarterback and a man shifting laterally and behind the line of scrimmage.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And farther off, toward the mountains, the Cimarronaje—the settlements of the Black Seminoles and Mascogos who, on escaping slavery, became colonists of a territory that asked for their protection in exchange for ownership.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
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From the days of colonists and pirates to the more modern era (of, say, bankers and lawyers servicing offshore corporations), its touristic charms have gone largely unappreciated.—
John Bowe,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonial. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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