# inhabited

/ˌɪnˈhæbətəd/ (US) · /ɪnhˈæbɪtɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/inhabited
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. lived in

adjective · CEFR B2

having people or animals living in a place.

For teachers: occupied by inhabitants; having residents or a population.

- The island is no longer inhabited because the volcano is dangerous.
- Archaeologists discovered evidence of a previously unknown civilization that inhabited the valley for several centuries before the climate shifted.

### 2. not empty

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

containing at least one item or element.

For teachers: containing at least one element; specifically used in constructive mathematics to denote a set for which an element can be constructed.

- In this logic system, we must prove the set is inhabited before we can use it.
- The proof requires demonstrating that the type is inhabited, thereby ensuring that the corresponding proposition is true within the constructive framework.

Usage: In formal logic, this is often contrasted with 'non-empty' to emphasize the constructive existence of an element.

## Examples

- The old castle is still inhabited by a local family.
- Researchers were surprised to find that the remote island was inhabited by a small community of fishermen.
- While the lower valleys remain densely inhabited, the higher mountain reaches have been largely abandoned due to the increasingly harsh winter conditions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.