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.

"No need to apologise, just don't come to China again. Just because you play football well does not mean you are a good person," one netizen said.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2024

"Was it chlorine? It'd be terrible if it was," one netizen said.

From Reuters • Aug. 12, 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

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

Ms Fu was forced to speak up after a netizen pointed out that she was in fact a girl.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2021

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