Immigrant

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Immigrant

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun and adjective

Pronunciation

IM-ih-grunt  /ˈɪmɪɡr(ə)nt/

Definition

A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country; relating to or consisting of immigrants.

Plain meaning

An immigrant is someone who moves from one country to another to live there permanently or long-term. The word focuses on the destination country: an immigrant to the UK is someone who has come to live in the UK from another country. The person is an emigrant from the country they left. Immigrants may be economic migrants (moving for work), refugees (fleeing persecution), or people moving to join family.

Register

Neutral as a descriptive noun; politically charged in public discourse. The word immigrant is often used in political rhetoric in ways that carry negative connotations, though the word itself is neutral. Related terms include migrant, refugee, asylum seeker, and expatriate — each with specific legal and social meanings that are sometimes confused or conflated.