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:
Saxony-Anhalt had the second highest number of far-right motivated criminal acts per inhabitant last year, according to police statistics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
And yet some residents of El Dorado, a gold mining town situated in the heart of the Mining Arc, appreciate their presence, one inhabitant told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
In the U.K. if the ruling party changes its leader it means a new inhabitant of 10 Downing Street, even without a fresh national poll.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 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
As it turned out, the doorway already had an inhabitant: a stooped, ancient woman who blended effortlessly into the shadows.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
The setting for Alex Preston’s “A Stranger in Corfu” is the Greek island of Vidos, nicknamed Spyland by its inhabitants, all of whom are retired British intelligence agents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
City officials deemed nine oceanfront homes unsafe for inhabitants as of Wednesday night, “red-tagging” them — adding two from prior evaluations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
“The inhabitants of Zvernec have a message for Rama,” she added, standing up a little taller.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The canal's watershed also supplies drinking water to half of Panama's 4.6 million inhabitants via infrastructure that was designed almost a century ago.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
“It was chosen, hundreds of years ago, for the way its waters hold its inhabitants tight against its bones,” said Irian.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
