inhabitant
Americannoun
-
inhabitants
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of inhabitant
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin inhabitant- (stem of inhabitāns ) dwelling in. See inhabit, -ant
Explanation
Someone who usually lives in a specific place — whether it's a mansion, a cave, or a beach house — is its inhabitant. The old man who lives in the scary house down the street is its inhabitant, and the skunk that built a nest under your porch is — unfortunately — an inhabitant of your front yard. The noun inhabitant comes from the verb inhabit, or "to live in," which in turn is rooted in the Latin word inhabitare, "to dwell in or to live in."
Vocabulary lists containing inhabitant
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Geography and World Regions
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The First State of Being
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The island is also home to other headline names such as Ivanka Trump and Tom Brady, but Bezos is understood to be its richest inhabitant.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
In this case, a cave filled with the remains of past meals became a shelter for a completely different kind of inhabitant.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026
The fluffy inhabitant also helps to entice customers.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
When JD Vance stepped onto Scottish soil on Wednesday he became the second inhabitant of the White House to visit the country in a month.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
For every inhabitant of Milagro, there existed a horse like the one belonging to Onofre Martinez.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
The newcomer was KD1, a 4½-year-old eagle who has since become a repeat visitor to the aerie that’s livestreamed around the clock, earning its inhabitants worldwide internet fame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
In Ittoqqortoormiit, more than a hundred people -- out of the 325 inhabitants of the village -- demonstrated in mid-July against the project, according to KNR.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
He said: "In comparison to the inhabitants of Hemsby and Happisburgh, we are so lucky. We don't think about it too much."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Its inhabitants were rebuilding but the scars remained: Her grandmother survived the blast but with terrible injuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Corps members are divided by skill—writers, interpreters, and artists—and are told to develop messages that urge the town’s inhabitants to come down from the nearby hills and mountains where they have sought refuge.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
