What does "resident" mean?
A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.
Resident
/ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.
- Grammar: resident is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: occupant, abiding, addressee, allopath.
- Useful contrasts: derelict, itinerant, migratory population.
- Usage evidence: What does "resident alien" mean?
How to use "resident"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "resident" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "resident" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "resident" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "resident" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "resident" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "occupant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "resident", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.
"The tiger is a resident of the Lower Amoor, and ranges as high as 53° north latitude. In winter he roams through the same forests with the reindeer, and occasionally dines upon venison of his own catching."
- 2 a physician (especially an intern) who lives in a hospital and cares for hospitalized patients under the supervision of the medical staff of the hospital wordnet
- 3 A bird which does not migrate during the course of the year.
- 4 someone who lives at a particular place for a prolonged period or who was born there wordnet
- 5 A physician receiving postgraduate medical training in a hospital or clinic.
"She's a resident in neurosurgery at Mass General."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A diplomatic representative who resides in a foreign country, usually of inferior rank to an ambassador.
- 7 A legal permanent resident, someone who maintains residency.
- 8 Alternative form of rezident. alt-of, alternative
Adjective
- 1 Dwelling, or having an abode, in a place for a continued length of time; residing on one's own estate.
"resident in the city or in the country"
- 2 Based in a particular place; on hand; local.
"He is our resident computer expert."
- 3 Fixed; stable; certain. obsolete
"stable and resident like a rock"
- 4 Currently loaded into RAM; contrasted with virtual memory.
Adjective
- 1 living in a particular place wordnet
- 2 used of animals that do not migrate wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"What does "resident alien" mean?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "resident"?
Common synonyms include: occupant, abiding, addressee, allopath, allopathist, ambassador.
How do you use "resident" in a sentence?
What does "resident alien" mean?
How do you pronounce "resident"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɛzɪd(ə)nt/.
Etymology
From Middle English resident, from Anglo-Norman resident, from Latin residēns, present participle of resideō (“to remain behind, reside, dwell”), equivalent to reside + -ent, from re- (“back”) + sedeō (“I sit”). Doublet of resiant and rezident. The espionage sense is a semantic loan from Russian резиде́нт (rezidént). (physician): So called because in the 19th century they resided in the hospital dormitories.