inhabitant
gb/ɪnhˈæbɪtənt/ us/ɪnhˈæbɪtənt/
B2
English
~ 9500
lakos
NOUN
B2
FORMAL
1
lakos
A2
Usage pattern:
an inhabitant of [a place]
The island has about 2,000 permanent inhabitants.
A szigetnek körülbelül 2000 állandó lakosa van.
Many of the city's inhabitants were forced to leave during the war.
A város sok lakosának el kellett menekülnie a háború alatt.
Desert inhabitants have adapted to survive with very little water.
The original inhabitants of the region lived by fishing and farming.
Learner examples
Paris has more than two million inhabitants.
Párizsnak több mint kétmillió lakosa van.
The inhabitants of this village all know each other.
Ennek a falunak a lakói mind ismerik egymást.
In winter, the town has fewer inhabitants than in summer.
The first inhabitants of this land hunted animals for food.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"inhabitant in"* (e.g., *"an inhabitant in London"*). The natural pattern is *"an inhabitant of London"*. Another common confusion is between **inhabitant** (a person or animal) and **habitat** (the natural place where an animal or plant lives).
Meaning
person or animal living in a place
Collocations
local inhabitants
|original inhabitants
|native inhabitants
|city inhabitants
|inhabitants of the area
|rural inhabitants
Synonyms
resident (More common and slightly less formal; usually refers to people, not animals.)
|
dweller (Often used in compounds like 'city-dweller'; sounds literary or descriptive.)
|
occupant (Focuses on someone who occupies a building or space, rather than a wider area.)
|
local (Informal, often used in speech to mean someone who lives in a particular area.)
Antonyms
visitor (Someone who comes to a place for a short time but does not live there.)
|
tourist (A short-term visitor, especially for holidays, not a long-term resident.)
|
outsider (Someone who does not belong to or live in a particular community or place.)
Themes
society
|geography
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Definition
A person or animal that lives in a place for a long time or all the time.
A person or animal that lives permanently or for a long time in a particular place.
Grammar
Dictionary form
inhabitant
IPA
GB/ɪnhˈæbɪtənt/
US/ɪnhˈæbɪtənt/
Syllables & stress
in - hab - it - ant (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (hab)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: inhabitant
- Plural: inhabitants
Word family
Forms
inhabitants
noun
Core family
inhabit
verb B2
Related words
habitat
noun B1
habitable
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
uninhabited
adjective
uninhabitable
adjective
Advanced or less common
habitation
noun B2
Expressions
inhabitant of
1/ɪnhˈæbɪtənt əv/
fixed phrase
formal
used to show where someone lives
Used before the name of a place to say that a person or animal lives there.
Examples
- She is an inhabitant of the coastal town of Brighton.
- As an inhabitant of the capital, he is used to heavy traffic.
- Every inhabitant of the island was invited to the meeting.