colonial
Americanadjective
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of, concerning, or pertaining to a colony or colonies.
the colonial policies of France.
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of, concerning, or pertaining to colonialism; colonialistic.
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(often initial capital letter) pertaining to the 13 British colonies that became the United States of America, or to their period.
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Ecology. forming a colony.
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(initial capital letter)
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noting or pertaining to the styles of architecture, ornament, and furnishings of the British colonies in America in the 17th and 18th centuries, mainly adapted to local materials and demands from prevailing English styles.
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noting or pertaining to various imitations of the work of American colonial artisans.
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noun
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an inhabitant of a colony.
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a house in or imitative of the Colonial style.
adjective
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of, characteristic of, relating to, possessing, or inhabiting a colony or colonies
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(often capital) characteristic of or relating to the 13 British colonies that became the United States of America (1776)
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(often capital) of or relating to the colonies of the British Empire
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denoting, relating to, or having the style of Neoclassical architecture used in the British colonies in America in the 17th and 18th centuries
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of or relating to the period of Australian history before Federation (1901)
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(of organisms such as corals and bryozoans) existing as a colony of polyps
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(of animals and plants) having become established in a community in a new environment
noun
Other Word Forms
- colonially adverb
- noncolonial adjective
- noncolonially adverb
- procolonial adjective
- semicolonial adjective
- semicolonially adverb
- uncolonial adjective
Etymology
Origin of colonial
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.
Growing numbers of museums and private collections worldwide are facing pressure to repatriate artworks removed from their native countries, particularly those looted during periods of colonial rule.
From Barron's
It also turns its gaze to those assigned to the lower rungs of the colonial social order - dancing girls, agricultural labourers, barbers and snake charmers.
From BBC
Mr. Pitts dismisses this ecocide narrative and places the blame for environmental degradation where it belongs: with colonial intruders.
And, to add insult to the injury, the most relevant books "are in France", Ivory Coast's former colonial ruler.
From Barron's
But his efforts to restore ties with South Korea's former colonial ruler, Japan, did not sit well with many at home.
From Barron's
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.
