colonial
gb/kəlˈoʊniəl/ us/kəlˈoʊniəl/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
relating to colonies and colonialism
connected to a country controlling other lands (colonies).
Usage pattern:
colonial + [rule/power/policy/administration/legacy]
Common mistake:
Do not use colonial to mean simply 'old' or 'traditional' unless it clearly refers to the colonial period or style.
Synonyms
imperial (Broader; can refer to any empire, not only colonies.)
|
imperialist (Often more critical, emphasizing exploitation or aggressive expansion.)
Antonyms
independent (Not controlled as a colony; self-governing.)
|
sovereign (Having full political power over itself.)
Collocations
colonial rule
|colonial power
|colonial expansion
|colonial empire
|colonial authorities
|colonial policy
|colonial administration
|colonial oppression
|colonial legacy
|colonial conquest
Themes
history
|politics
|government
|society
Examples
- The museum’s new exhibit examines colonial rule and its long-term effects on local communities.
- The book traces the country’s colonial policies across three centuries.
- Activists criticized the company for repeating colonial patterns of resource extraction.
Learner examples
- The country has a colonial past.
- They studied colonial history in class.
adjective
B2
property
2
from the time of colonization
from the time when a place was a colony.
Usage pattern:
colonial + [period/era/settlement/town/records]
Common mistake:
Colonial usually refers to a specific historical period; it does not mean simply 'ancient' or 'very old'.
Synonyms
historic (Broader; not limited to the colonial period.)
|
early (Vaguer; can mean early in any timeline, not specifically colonial.)
Antonyms
modern (Belonging to the present time rather than an earlier historical period.)
|
contemporary (Of the current time.)
Collocations
colonial period
|colonial era
|colonial history
|colonial settlement
|colonial records
|colonial archives
|colonial society
|colonial town
|colonial America
|colonial India
Themes
history
|culture
|places
Examples
- They found colonial records describing the first years of the settlement.
- The tour takes visitors through colonial neighborhoods and old trading ports.
- Several colonial documents were preserved in the national archives.
Learner examples
- This building is from the colonial period.
- We saw colonial maps in the library.
adjective
C1
property
3
in a colonial architectural style
describing a traditional house or design style from colonial times.
Usage pattern:
colonial + [house/architecture/style/furniture]
Common mistake:
This sense is about a design style; it is different from colonial meaning political control.
Synonyms
traditional (Broader; not tied to the colonial period.)
|
period (General term for a historical style, not necessarily colonial.)
Antonyms
modernist (Associated with modern design rather than historical styles.)
|
contemporary (Of current design trends.)
Collocations
colonial architecture
|colonial house
|colonial-style home
|colonial furniture
|colonial decor
|Colonial Revival
|Dutch Colonial
|Spanish Colonial
|colonial design
|colonial facade
Themes
architecture
|design
|home
Examples
- They bought a colonial house with symmetrical windows and a central doorway.
- The restaurant is decorated in a colonial style with dark wood and simple lines.
- Her living room mixes colonial furniture with modern lighting.
Learner examples
- They live in a colonial-style house.
- I like colonial furniture.
Noun
C1
role
4
a person from a colony
a person who lived in a colony.
Usage pattern:
a colonial; the colonials
Common mistake:
In modern writing, colonist is often more common than colonial for this meaning.
Synonyms
colonist (More common and more neutral in modern usage.)
|
settler (More general; does not necessarily imply colonial rule.)
Collocations
American colonials
|British colonials
|the colonials
|colonial settlers
|wealthy colonials
|colonials and natives
Themes
history
|people
|politics
Examples
- The film follows a group of colonials as tensions rise before the war.
- Some colonials supported independence, while others remained loyal to the crown.
- The diary gives a vivid picture of daily life for colonials on the frontier.
Learner examples
- The colonials wanted more rights.
- A colonial lived in a colony.
Grammar
Dictionary form
colonial
IPA
GB/kəlˈoʊniəl/
US/kəlˈoʊniəl/
Syllables & stress
co - lo - ni - al (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (lo)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: colonial
Noun
- Base: colonial
- Plural: colonials
Word family
Forms
colonials
noun
Core family
Related words
colonizer
noun
colonialist
noun
Negative and opposite forms
anticolonial
adjective
decolonize
verb
decolonization
noun
Advanced or less common
postcolonial
adjective
neocolonial
adjective
Expressions
colonial era
1/kəlˈoʊniəl ˈɛɹə/
fixed phrase
the time of colonial control
the time when a place was a colony.
Examples
- Many borders were drawn during the colonial era.
- The exhibit focuses on trade routes from the colonial era.
- Some of the city’s oldest streets date back to the colonial era.
colonial power
1/kəlˈoʊniəl pˈaʊɚ/
fixed phrase
a country that has colonies
a strong country that controls colonies.
Examples
- Several colonial powers competed for influence in the region.
- The treaty reduced the colonial power’s control over local resources.
- The island was ruled by a colonial power for generations.
colonial revival
1/kəlˈoʊniəl ɹɪvˈaɪvəl/
fixed phrase
a colonial-inspired design movement
a style that copies colonial-era design.
Examples
- Their home is a classic Colonial Revival with a columned porch.
- The neighborhood has many Colonial Revival houses built in the early 1900s.
- The architect specialized in Colonial Revival design.
colonial rule
1/kəlˈoʊniəl ɹˈul/
fixed phrase
government by a foreign power
when another country controls and governs a place.
Examples
- The region remained under colonial rule for nearly a century.
- The novel describes resistance movements that formed during colonial rule.
- After the end of colonial rule, the country faced major economic challenges.
colonial-style
1/kəlˈoʊniəl stˈaɪl/
fixed phrase
in a colonial design style
made in an old colonial design style.
Examples
- They renovated the kitchen but kept the colonial-style cabinets.
- The hotel has colonial-style rooms with wooden shutters.
- She prefers colonial-style furniture to minimalist designs.