Standard Lemma guide

denizen

noun · verb · 9 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.

  • UK, US: /ˈdɛn.ɪ.zən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛnɪzən
  • CMU ARPABET: D EH1 N AH0 Z AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in a certain place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The giant squid is one of many denizens of the deep.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dweller, inhabitant, native, resident, denizen

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who frequents a place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The denizens of that pub are of the roughest sort.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: regular, habitué

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person with rights between those of naturalized citizen and resident alien (roughly permanent resident), obtained through letters patent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, historical

Examples

  • 1548, Edward Hall, The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke, London, The xiiii yere, Then by commaundement wer all Fre[n]chemen and Scottes imprisoned and the goodes seazed, and all suche as were denizens were commaunded to shewe their letters patentes [...]
  • 1803, John Browne Cutting, “A Succinct History of Jamaica” in Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, p. xlv, All free persons were authorized and permitted to transport themselves, their families, and goods [...] to Jamaica, from any part of the British dominions; and their children born in Jamaica were declared free denizens of England, entitled to the same privileges as free born subjects of England.
  • Though born in Iceland, he became a denizen of Britain after leaving Oxford.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An animal or plant from a particular range or habitat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

Examples

  • The bald eagle is a denizen of the northern part of the state.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A foreign word that has become naturalised in another language in terms of use, but not in terms of form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To grant rights of citizenship to; to naturalize.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, historical, transitive

Examples

  • He was denizened to Ireland after fleeing his home country.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To provide with denizens; to populate with adopted or naturalized occupants.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • 1849, Joseph Dalton Hooker, “Extracts from the Private Letters of Dr. J. D. Hooker, written during a Botanical Mission to India” in William Jackson Hooker (editor), Hooker’s Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany, London: Reeve, Benham and Reeve, Volume 1, p. 85, There were a few islets in the sand [...] . These were at once denizened by the Calotropis, Argemone, Tamarix, Gnaphalium luteoalbum and two other species [...] .

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a plant or animal naturalized in a region

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • denizens of field and forest
  • denizens of the deep

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: organism, being

9

noun

Meaning 9

a person who inhabits a particular place

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inhabitant, habitant, dweller, indweller

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

Narrower terms: Asian, Asiatic, European, Australian, Aussie, Austronesian, New Zealander, Kiwi, American, Alsatian, borderer, cottager, cottage dweller, easterner, Galilean, Galilaean, Hittite, islander, island-dweller, landlubber, landsman, landman, Latin, liver, marcher, Nazarene, Northerner, Numidian, Occidental, Philistine, Phrygian, plainsman, resident, occupant, occupier, tellurian, earthling, earthman, worldling, Trinidadian, villager, westerner

History

Etymology

From Middle English denisein, from Old French denzein, from deinz (“within”) + -ein, from Late Latin dē intus (“from within”), whence French dans.

Across languages

Translations

78 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: йәшәүсе (yəşəwse) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Bashkir: тороусы (torowsı) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Bulgarian: жи́тел (žítel) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Bulgarian: обита́тел (obitátel) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Catalan: habitant — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Cherokee: ᎡᎯ (ehi) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Chinese Mandarin: 居民 (jūmín) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Czech: obyvatel — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Dutch: bewoner — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Estonian: asukas — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Estonian: elanik — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Finnish: asukas — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Finnish: asukki — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • French: citoyen — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • French: résident — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • French: habitant — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Galician: natural — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Georgian: მცხოვრები (mcxovrebi) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Georgian: მკვიდრი (mḳvidri) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Georgian: მაცხოვრებელი (macxovrebeli) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • German: Bewohner — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • German: Bewohnerin — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Hebrew: תושב — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Hebrew: מתנחל — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Hebrew: אזרח — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Hungarian: lakó — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Italian: abitante — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Japanese: 居住者 (kyojūsha) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Japanese: 住民 (jūmin) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Macedonian: жител (žitel) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Norwegian: beboer — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Norwegian: innbygger — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Polish: mieszkaniec — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Polish: mieszkanka — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Portuguese: morador — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Romanian: locuitor — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Romanian: locuitoare — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Russian: жи́тель (žítelʹ) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Russian: жи́тельница (žítelʹnica) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Russian: обита́тель (obitátelʹ) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Russian: обита́тельница (obitátelʹnica) — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Serbo-Croatian: житељ — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Serbo-Croatian: žítelj — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Spanish: habitante — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Swedish: boende — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Swedish: invånare — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Thai: ผู้อยู่อาศัย — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Turkish: sakin — an inhabitant of a place; one who dwells in
  • Bulgarian: постоянен посетител (postojanen posetitel) — one who frequents a place
  • Catalan: habitual — one who frequents a place
  • Czech: stálý host — one who frequents a place
  • Czech: štamgast — one who frequents a place
  • Dutch: stamgast — one who frequents a place
  • Finnish: kanta-asiakas — one who frequents a place
  • French: habitué — one who frequents a place
  • Galician: habitual — one who frequents a place
  • German: Stammgast — one who frequents a place
  • German: Stammgästin — one who frequents a place
  • Norwegian: stamgjest — one who frequents a place
  • Polish: bywalec — one who frequents a place
  • Polish: bywalczyni — one who frequents a place
  • Portuguese: frequentador — one who frequents a place
  • Russian: завсегда́тай (zavsegdátaj) — one who frequents a place
  • Serbo-Croatian: становник — one who frequents a place
  • Serbo-Croatian: stanovnik — one who frequents a place
  • Spanish: habitual — one who frequents a place
  • Swedish: stamgäst — one who frequents a place
  • Thai: ขาประจํา — one who frequents a place
  • Bulgarian: натурализиран чужденец (naturaliziran čuždenec) — (UK) a citizen naturalized through letters patent
  • Dutch: ingeburgerde — (UK) a citizen naturalized through letters patent
  • German: teilweise eingebürgerter Ausländer — (UK) a citizen naturalized through letters patent
  • Pashto: همسایه (hëmsayë) — (UK) a citizen naturalized through letters patent
  • Estonian: asukas — local flora and fauna
  • Finnish: asukas — local flora and fauna
  • German: Bewohner — local flora and fauna
  • Hungarian: lakó — local flora and fauna
  • Serbo-Croatian: ендем — local flora and fauna
  • Māori: kupu mino — foreign word that has become naturalised within a language