inhabitant
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- inhabitancy noun
- preinhabitant noun
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
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Geography and World Regions
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The First State of Being
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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.
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
One particular early inhabitant of the human body, Bifidobacterium longum, seemed to have a protective effect.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2025
The Constitution says that a senator must be an inhabitant of the state they represent “when elected.”
From Slate • Jan. 4, 2025
By the end of the month of August he knew he was an inhabitant of the island, whether he liked it or not.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
