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mainlander

American  
[mayn-lan-der, -luhn-der] / ˈmeɪnˌlæn dər, -lən dər /

noun

  1. a person who lives on a mainland.

  2. (in Hawaii) a person who lives in the continental U.S.


Etymology

Origin of mainlander

First recorded in 1855–60; mainland + -er 1


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:

I visit often enough to feel a sense of stewardship, yet my mainlander status keeps the islands just unfamiliar enough to never lose their getaway feeling.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2023

All this island love for a mainlander — a white kid from Orange County, no less — but one who meshed remarkably well.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2021

A Taiwanese woman shared her experience working in Shanghai, trying to fit in while maintaining her identity and dealing with not being understood by her mainlander colleagues.

From Slate ● Feb. 9, 2021

As a mainlander who lives overseas, these accounts were shocking to me.

From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2019

Coupled with a toothy grin, the driver's gesture reveals a touch of mainlander frustration but is tempered with a protective dose of islander fatalism.

From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Sam Williams

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