as in populated
to supply with inhabitants
believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars
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Recent Examples of colonized
The family lives on the Caribbean island of Martinique, which was colonized first by the Spanish and then the French in 1635.
—
Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Written in lyrical and rhythmic prose, the novel delves into the lasting moral and spiritual distortions created by colonization in both colonizer and colonized.
—Alvin Birdi, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Two years ago, students occupied buildings and colonized the quad.
—Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Life only became complex, differentiated, and colonized the continental land on Earth a few hundred million years ago.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
The buildings that housed a prideful labor force are vandalized, colonized by squatters or boarded up.
—Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Ethiopia, the only African nation not colonized in the early 20th century, became a powerful symbol of Black freedom and influenced much of the visual symbolism seen today, according to Blavity (via Yahoo).
—Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Feb. 2026
Ours is one of a handful of countries never colonized by Europeans.
—Arash Azizi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Denmark colonized Greenland 300 years ago and granted it the status of an autonomous territory in the 1970s, while retaining control of military and foreign policy.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Written in lyrical and rhythmic prose, the novel delves into the lasting moral and spiritual distortions created by colonization in both colonizer and colonized.
—Alvin Birdi, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Two years ago, students occupied buildings and colonized the quad.
—Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Life only became complex, differentiated, and colonized the continental land on Earth a few hundred million years ago.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
The buildings that housed a prideful labor force are vandalized, colonized by squatters or boarded up.
—Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Ethiopia, the only African nation not colonized in the early 20th century, became a powerful symbol of Black freedom and influenced much of the visual symbolism seen today, according to Blavity (via Yahoo).
—Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Feb. 2026
Ours is one of a handful of countries never colonized by Europeans.
—Arash Azizi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Denmark colonized Greenland 300 years ago and granted it the status of an autonomous territory in the 1970s, while retaining control of military and foreign policy.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonized
Verb
-
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Scattered across the continent were hundreds of towns populated by a few hundred people, and each of these towns had an economic hinterland of perhaps 50 to 100 square miles, with the bulk of all agricultural and household production produced and remaining in that area.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Visit the Indigenous Bribri community, which has inhabited Talamanca for thousands of years.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
-
His reputation for meticulous period work will be central to recreating the world Wong Howe inhabited across more than five decades in Hollywood, from the silent era through the Golden Age of cinema.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonized. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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