Synonyms of colonial

colonial 1 of 2

adjective

kə-ˈlō-nē-əl 

as in social

tending to group with others of the same kind

colonial organisms

Synonyms & Similar Words

• social
• parasitic
• associational
• dependent
• gregarious
• sociable
• consociational
• symbiotic
• subsocial
• precocial

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• solitary
• independent
• nonsocial
• autonomous
• semiautonomous
• self-contained
• self-sufficient
• semi-independent
• altricial
• reclusive
• lone
• unsociable
• self-sustaining
• self-supporting
• self-subsistent
• recluse

colonial

2 of 2

noun

as in settler

a person who settles in a new region

European colonials who built coffee plantations in East Africa

Synonyms & Similar Words

• settler
• pioneer
• colonist
• colonizer
• frontiersman
• homesteader
• explorer
• pathfinder
• mountain man
• woodsman
• bushranger
• trailblazer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of colonial

Adjective

During his time at the Ashmolean, Wasif will be looking at the colonial history of Bengal and considering how the museum’s collections might connect with his existing work. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

From 1896 to 1897, the region experienced what would come to be known as the First Chimurenga, a period of uprisings by the Indigenous Ndebele and Shona people against colonial policies. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Noun

The move makes the country the latest to signal a shift away from a colonial past by changing its name. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

That equity is not merely associated with chattel slavery, but also with African objects that were stolen during European colonial rule. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026