netizen

American

[net-uh-zuhn, -suhn] / ˈnɛt ə zən, -sən /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter) a user of the internet, often one who is actively engaged in uncensored online discussions of political and social issues.

Chinese netizens who post their messages using pseudonyms.

netizen British

/ ˈnɛtɪzən /

noun

informal a person who regularly uses the internet

"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

Etymology

Origin of netizen

First recorded in 1980–85; (inter)net ( def. ) + (cit)izen

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:

netizen

Without needing to build a website or familiarize themselves with a forum, any netizen could start or join a conversation at any time.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Another netizen added: "She's doing it for all of us."

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2023

“Compared with the virus itself, I’m more afraid of home disinfection and one positive case getting a whole floor sent to mass quarantine,” one netizen wrote on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblogging platform.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2022

"It's boring to not allow the fireworks for the New Year. What's the difference from usual? The traditions are lost," said a netizen, who went by the name "ZY fish", on China's twitter-like Weibo.

From Reuters ● Feb. 1, 2022

They are resigned to allowing this to take place because they view it as the unfortunate cost of being a netizen.

From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2022

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023