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

City inspectors on the case The Midway Marketplace lot draws its share of panhandlers and other destitute denizens, some of whom tend to spend the night, and the overnight music was part of an apparent effort to clear them out while deterring crime and property damage. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 17 May 2024

Its customer base ranged from judges, lawyers, stockbrokers and business people enjoying a quick lunch, to off-duty strippers, cabdrivers, cops, newspaper workers, drinkers and other denizens of the night who stopped in for a sausage before calling it a day and heading home. —Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 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