adj · noun · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/kəˈləʊ.ni.əl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/kəˈloʊ.njəl/
General-American:/kəˈloʊ.ni.əl/
rhymes with -əʊniəl
CMU ARPABET:K AH0 L OW1 N IY0 AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or pertaining to a colony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Of or pertaining to the ideals of colonialism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Of or relating to the original Thirteen Colonies of the USA.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Of or relating to the style of architecture prevalent at about the time of the Revolution.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adj
Meaning 6
Tending to form colonies (especially of cells).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A person from a country that is or was controlled by another.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
A house that is built in a style reminiscent of the period of the colonization of New England.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
A coin or postage stamp issued by a colony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
adjective
Meaning 10
of or relating to or characteristic of or inhabiting a colony
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
adjective
Meaning 11
of animals who live in colonies, such as ants
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
adjective satellite
Meaning 12
composed of many distinct individuals united to form a whole or colony
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
coral is a colonial organism
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: compound
Antonyms: none provided
13
noun
Meaning 13
a resident of a colony
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: resident, occupant, occupier
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kwelh1- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *kwélh1eti Proto-Italic *kwelō Latin colō Latin colōnus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin colōniader. Middle English colane English colony Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English colonial From colony + -al.
Across languages
Translations
74 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Arabic:
اِسْتِعْمَارِيّ
(istiʕmāriyy)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Armenian:
գաղութային
(gaġutʻayin)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Belarusian:
каланія́льны
(kalanijálʹny)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Belarusian:
колёнія́льны
(koljonijálʹny)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Bulgarian:
колониа́лен
(koloniálen)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Catalan:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Chinese Mandarin:
殖民的
(zhímín de)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Chinese Mandarin:
殖民地的
(zhímíndì de)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Czech:
koloniální
— of or pertaining to a colony
Danish:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Dutch:
koloniaal
— of or pertaining to a colony
Esperanto:
kolonia
— of or pertaining to a colony
Finnish:
siirtomaa-
— of or pertaining to a colony
French:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Galician:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Georgian:
კოლონიური
(ḳoloniuri)
— of or pertaining to a colony
German:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Greek:
αποικιακός
(apoikiakós)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Hindi:
औपनिवेशिक
(aupniveśik)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Ido:
koloniala
— of or pertaining to a colony
Italian:
coloniale
— of or pertaining to a colony
Latin:
colōnicus
— of or pertaining to a colony
Latin:
colōniārius
— of or pertaining to a colony
Latin:
colōniālis
— of or pertaining to a colony
Macedonian:
колонија́лен
(kolonijálen)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Malay:
jajahan
— of or pertaining to a colony
Malay:
koloni
— of or pertaining to a colony
Malay:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Norwegian Bokmål:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Persian:
استعماری
(este'mâri)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Polish:
kolonialny
— of or pertaining to a colony
Portuguese:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Romanian:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Russian:
колониа́льный
(koloniálʹnyj)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Serbo-Croatian:
ко̏лонија̄лан
— of or pertaining to a colony
Serbo-Croatian:
kȍlonijālan
— of or pertaining to a colony
Slovak:
koloniálny
— of or pertaining to a colony
Slovene:
kolonialen
— of or pertaining to a colony
Spanish:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Swedish:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a colony
Tagalog:
sakupbayanin
— of or pertaining to a colony
Tagalog:
sakupin
— of or pertaining to a colony
Turkish:
kolonyal
— of or pertaining to a colony
Tuvan:
колониалдыг
(kolonialdıg)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Ukrainian:
колоніа́льний
(koloniálʹnyj)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Urdu:
استعماری
(isti'mārī)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Vietnamese:
thực dân
— of or pertaining to a colony
Yakut:
колониальнай
(kolonialʹnay)
— of or pertaining to a colony
Bulgarian:
колониа́лен
(koloniálen)
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Danish:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Esperanto:
kolonia
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
French:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Georgian:
კოლონიური
(ḳoloniuri)
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
German:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Greek:
αποικιακός
(apoikiakós)
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Hindi:
औपनिवेशिक
(aupniveśik)
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Ido:
koloniala
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Portuguese:
colonial
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Russian:
колониа́льный
(koloniálʹnyj)
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Swedish:
kolonial
— of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony
Danish:
kolonial
— US: of or relating to the original thirteen colonies of the USA
French:
colonial
— US: of or relating to the original thirteen colonies of the USA
Portuguese:
colonial
— US: of or relating to the original thirteen colonies of the USA
Swedish:
kolonial
— US: of or relating to the original thirteen colonies of the USA
Bulgarian:
колониа́лен
(koloniálen)
— US: of or relating to the style of architecture
French:
colonial
— US: of or relating to the style of architecture
Ido:
koloniala
— US: of or relating to the style of architecture
Portuguese:
colonial
— US: of or relating to the style of architecture
Russian:
колониа́льный
(koloniálʹnyj)
— US: of or relating to the style of architecture
Swedish:
kolonial
— US: of or relating to the style of architecture
Galician:
colono
— person from a country that is or was controlled by another
Ido:
koloniano
— person from a country that is or was controlled by another
Portuguese:
colono
— person from a country that is or was controlled by another