colonial

[ kuh-loh-nee-uhl ]

/ kəˈloʊ ni əl /

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See synonyms for: colonial / colonials on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, concerning, or pertaining to a colony or colonies: the colonial policies of France.

of, concerning, or pertaining to colonialism; colonialistic.

(often initial capital letter) pertaining to the 13 British colonies that became the United States of America, or to their period.

Ecology. forming a colony.

(initial capital letter)Architecture, Furniture.

noting or pertaining to the styles of architecture, ornament, and furnishings of the British colonies in America in the 17th and 18th centuries, mainly adapted to local materials and demands from prevailing English styles.
noting or pertaining to various imitations of the work of American colonial artisans.

noun

an inhabitant of a colony.

a house in or imitative of the Colonial style.

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Origin of colonial

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; colony + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM colonial

co·lo·ni·al·ly, adverbnon·co·lo·ni·al, adjective, nounnon·co·lo·ni·al·ly, adverbpro·co·lo·ni·al, adjective, noun

sem·i·co·lo·ni·al, adjectivesem·i·co·lo·ni·al·ly, adverbun·co·lo·ni·al, adjective

Words nearby colonial

colon bacillus, colonel, Colonel Blimp, colonelcy, colonia, colonial, colonial animal, colonial experience, colonial goose, Colonial Heights, colonialism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use colonial in a sentence

When the disease-related deaths of millions of Indigenous people in the Americas led to labor shortages that jeopardized the colonial project, Spaniards imported nearly 200,000 people from West Africa to all parts of the colony.
The problem of environmental racism in Mexico today is rooted in history|Jayson Porter|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
Efforts by the British Empire to conduct a smallpox vaccination program in India made less progress, due in large part to mistrust by the locals of the colonial government.
Smallpox used to kill millions of people every year. Here’s how humans beat it.|Kelsey Piper|February 5, 2021|Vox
Sometimes they protected colonial interests in the West Indies with governors of Caribbean islands paying them to attack Spanish treasure ships.
The Buccaneers embody Tampa’s love of pirates. Is that a problem?|Jamie Goodall|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Indigenous geographer Deondre Smiles, a postdoctoral scholar at Ohio State, recently warned about the dangers of bringing a colonial mentality to exploring space in an article in the journal Society & Space.
Can Astronaut Thinking Heal America at Last?|Leslie dela Vega|January 28, 2021|Ozy

Railways in Nigeria dates back to the 19th century when the first railroad was constructed in 1898 under British colonial rule before the modern country was created in 1914.
Nigeria’s ambitious Chinese-built rail project is keen to avoid a familiar problem|Paul Adepoju|January 19, 2021|Quartz
During the colonial period the Punjabi Muslims formed the prized martial class for the British Raj.
CIA Agents Assess: How Real Is ‘Homeland’?|Chuck Cogan, John MacGaffin|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were men dressed in colonial garb complete with knee-breeches and powdered wigs.
New York’s Century-Old Time Capsule Is a Dud|Justin Jones|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Madison knew directly how colonial-era Anglicans had persecuted Baptists.
In Texas Textbooks, Moses Is a Founding Father|Edward Countryman|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the eloquent words of colonial preacher John Winthrop, “When a man is to wade through deep water, there is required tallness.”
For Short Men in 2014, The News Is Surprisingly Good|Kevin Bleyer|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That makes Israel one of the longest-standing colonial powers in modern history.
Why I’m Against Hamas, Against What Israel Is Doing, and For Judaism|Sally Kohn|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Spain, however, has fallen from the high place she once held, her colonial system has also gone down.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Colonial charters were, however, "undoubtedly no more than those of all corporations, which empower them to make bye-laws."
The Eve of the Revolution|Carl Becker
On May 13, in a speech which charmed the House, Mr. Townshend opened his plan for settling the colonial question.
The Eve of the Revolution|Carl Becker
Then it was agreed all men must be made to do so, and the colonial legislature was called upon to make them.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
As usual in Portuguese colonial towns, the church and convent are very conspicuous.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham

British Dictionary definitions for colonial

colonial

/ (kəˈləʊnɪəl) /

adjective

of, characteristic of, relating to, possessing, or inhabiting a colony or colonies

(often capital) characteristic of or relating to the 13 British colonies that became the United States of America (1776)

(often capital) of or relating to the colonies of the British Empire

denoting, relating to, or having the style of Neoclassical architecture used in the British colonies in America in the 17th and 18th centuries

of or relating to the period of Australian history before Federation (1901)

(of organisms such as corals and bryozoans) existing as a colony of polyps

(of animals and plants) having become established in a community in a new environment

noun

a native of a colony

Derived forms of colonial

colonially, adverb

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

colonial

Origin of colonial

OTHER WORDS FROM colonial

Words nearby colonial

Words related to colonial

How to use colonial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for colonial

Derived forms of colonial