islander

American  

[ahy-luhn-der] / ˈaɪ lən dər /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of an island.

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islander British  

/ ˈaɪləndə /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of an island

2. (capital) a native or inhabitant of the Pacific Islands

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Etymology

Origin of islander

First recorded in 1540–50; island + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Ms Olamiposi, who had watched previous seasons of Love Island USA, says this year was different - mainly thanks to several TikTok videos of a particular islander: Huda Mustafa.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

“It was dark yellow, sometimes black,” one islander told Robie.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025

I am not an islander but I am a proud Washingtonian who feels like our ferry system should be one of the top sources of state pride.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2023

The majority of those residents are of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American or Pacific islander heritage, despite those groups only making up one-third of the overall county’s population, according to the complaint.

From Reuters • Apr. 19, 2023

I had a faint hope that the Captain, not being an islander, would take the heat as an excuse to slow down a bit.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson