Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, possessing, or inhabiting a colony or colonies.
  • adjective Of or relating to the 13 British colonies that became the original United States of America.
  • adjective Of or relating to the colonial period in the United States.
  • adjective Of, relating to, or being a style of architecture and furniture prevalent in the American colonies just before and during the Revolution.
  • adjective Living in, consisting of, or forming a colony.
  • noun An inhabitant of a colony.
  • noun A house designed in an architectural style reminiscent of the one prevalent in the American colonies just before and during the Revolution.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining or belonging to a colony: as, colonial government; colonial rights; specifically, in American history, relating to the thirteen British colonies which became the United States of America, or to their period. See colony.
  • In zoology, forming colonies; consisting of or living as colonies; not separate; aggregative; social: as, the colonial Anthozoa.
  • noun A member or citizen of a colony, especially of one of the British colonies in the eastern hemisphere.
  • noun plural Colonial products, securities, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a colony.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective of or pertaining to a colony.
  • adjective of or pertaining to a period when a country or territory was a colony.
  • adjective US of or relating to the original Thirteen Colonies of the USA.
  • adjective US of or relating to the style of architecture prevalent at about the time of the Revolution
  • noun A person from a country that is or was controlled by another.
  • noun US A house that is built in a style reminiscent of the period of the colonization of New England.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a resident of a colony
  • adjective of or relating to or characteristic of or inhabiting a colony
  • adjective of animals who live in colonies, such as ants
  • adjective composed of many distinct individuals united to form a whole or colony

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From colony +‎ -al

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Examples

  • They saw the dismantling of colonial rule through peaceful negotiation, except in Vanuatu; by the 1990s, only France and the U.S. remained “colonial powers” in the Pacific.

    H. The Pacific Region, 1944-2000 2001

  • First, the term colonial feminism carries a snide implication that this alleged brand of feminism somehow subjects women rather than frees them.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • First, the term colonial feminism carries a snide implication that this alleged brand of feminism somehow subjects women rather than frees them.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • First, the term colonial feminism carries a snide implication that this alleged brand of feminism somehow subjects women rather than frees them.

    Nomad Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2010

  • Therefore, the term colonial is offensive to those peoples who have been liberated from imperialist oppression.

    An Argonaut Ethos R.A. Cooper 2009

  • [10] Seasoning was the term colonial Virginians used to refer to the sicknesses that affected new immigrants, black and white, to the colony, until they developed immunities.

    Letter from Robert Carter to Robert Jones, October 22, 1729 1729

  • Even as his military was under siege, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi vowed to endure through a long war against what he called colonial crusader aggression by the international coalition.

    Gates: U.S. expects to hand off Libya lead in 'days' 2011

  • A defiant Gaddafi repeated in a national address that he would arm civilians to defend Libya from what he called "colonial, crusader" aggression by western forces.

    Libya: Allied strikes sweep Libya as west intervenes in conflict 2011

  • TUNIS Reuters - A defiant Muammar Gaddafi said on Saturday he will arm civilians to defend Libya from what he called "colonial, crusader" aggression by Western forces that have launched air strikes against him.

    Libya War: Gaddafi Vows To Arm Civilians To Defend Country The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

  • Even as his military was under siege, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi vowed to endure through a long war against what he called colonial crusader aggression by the international coalition.

    Robert Gates: Libya Mission Handoff In Days, U.S. Will Not Have 'Preeminent Role' 2011

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