netizen

American

[net-uh-zuhn, ‑suhn] / ˈnɛt ə zən, ‑sən /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter) a user of the internet, often one who is actively engaged in uncensored online discussions of political and social issues.

Chinese netizens who post their messages using pseudonyms.

netizen British

/ ˈnɛtɪzən /

noun

informal a person who regularly uses the internet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of netizen

First recorded in 1980–85; (inter)net ( def. ) + (cit)izen

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.

"The season changed outside overnight," a netizen from Heilongjiang complained on Weibo, China's popular social media platform.

From Reuters • Nov. 6, 2023

Another netizen added: "She's doing it for all of us."

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2023

“Compared with the virus itself, I’m more afraid of home disinfection and one positive case getting a whole floor sent to mass quarantine,” one netizen wrote on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblogging platform.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2022

They are resigned to allowing this to take place because they view it as the unfortunate cost of being a netizen.

From New York Times • Jan. 29, 2022

Ms Fu was forced to speak up after a netizen pointed out that she was in fact a girl.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023