settler

settler — noun

1. a person who moves to a new area where few people live, intending to stay perman

1.nounB1
Definition

a person who moves to a new area where few people live, intending to stay permanently to live and farm the land

Example

The first European settlers reached the valley in 1850 and built log cabins near the river.

settler + reach [place] + build [structures]

Ari's great-grandfather was among the settlers who cleared the forest for wheat fields.

settler + clear land for farming

Common collocations
  • early settlers
  • first settlers
  • European settlers
  • white settlers
  • original settlers
  • new settlers
Synonyms
  • colonist

    more specific — refers to settlers who move as part of a colonising power controlling a foreign territory

  • pioneer

    more specific — emphasises being among the first to enter and develop a new area

  • homesteader

    North American term — refers to settlers who received land from the government to farm

Antonyms
  • native

    a person who was born in a place, whereas a settler arrives from elsewhere

  • nomad

    a person who moves from place to place without a permanent home

Usage Note

Often carries historical or political weight, especially when referring to colonial expansion. Distinguish from 'immigrant' — an immigrant moves to an existing country or city, whereas a settler typically moves to a sparsely populated area to establish a new community.

Common Mistakes

My grandparents were settlers who moved to Tokyo in the 1980s.
My grandparents were immigrants who moved to Tokyo in the 1980s.
'Settler' is used for people who open up new, sparsely populated areas, not for those who move to an established city.
The settlers visited Taiwan for a two-week holiday.
The tourists visited Taiwan for a two-week holiday.
'Settler' implies permanent relocation, not a short visit.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe people who move, but with important differences. A 'settler' moves to a new, often sparsely populated area to live permanently and develop the land — e.g., settlers who founded towns in the American West. A 'colonist' is a specific type of settler who moves to a territory controlled by their home country as part of a colonial project. An 'immigrant' simply moves to a new country, whether to a city or rural area, without the frontier connotation — e.g., immigrants arriving in New York City. A 'pioneer' is among the very first settlers of an area, emphasising exploration and hardship. A 'migrant' moves temporarily or seasonally, often for work, and may not intend to stay permanently. In short: all pioneers are settlers, but not all settlers are pioneers; settlers are a type of immigrant with a frontier focus; colonists are settlers with a political/imperial context; migrants may not settle at all.

settler ↗colonist ↗immigrant ↗pioneer ↗migrant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • group of settlers
  • wave of settlers
  • community of settlers
  • descendants of settlers

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from the verb 'settle' (to place in a fixed position or to make a home) plus the suffix '-er' (meaning 'a person who does something'). The verb 'settle' traces back through Old English 'setlan' to a Germanic root meaning 'seat' — the idea of finding a permanent place to rest or live. First recorded use of 'settler' meaning a person who establishes a home in a new land dates from the late 1500s.