Definition

1. Noun:
   • A member of the Anasazi people: Refers to a person belonging to a prehistoric Native American culture in the southwestern United States, known for building their homes on cliff ledges and in caves.
   • A person who lives in a dwelling built on a cliff or a very high place: In a broader, more modern sense, it can refer to anyone residing in a home situated on a steep cliff face or a similar elevated, precarious location.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Archaeologists study the artifacts left behind by the cliff dweller to understand their way of life.
  • The modern house, perched on the edge of the mountain, is home to a true cliff dweller who enjoys spectacular views.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Anthropological Context: The term is most precisely used to describe the ancient Puebloan peoples (Anasazi and others) of the American Southwest.
  • The Mesa Verde National Park preserves many sites where the cliff dweller communities once thrived.
• Figurative/Modern Context: Used metaphorically to describe someone living in a very high apartment building in a city.
  • As a resident on the 50th floor, she jokingly calls herself a cliff dweller.

Variants and Related Words

• Cliff dwelling (n): The actual structure or settlement built on a cliff.
  • The cliff dwelling was remarkably well-preserved.
• Cliff-dwelling (adj): Used to describe something related to or characteristic of living on cliffs.
  • They studied cliff-dwelling architecture.

Synonyms

• Pueblo Indian (specifically for the historical context).
• Cave dweller (though this can imply living caves rather than on ledges).
• High-rise resident (for the modern figurative sense).

Noun

1. a member of the Anasazi people living in the southwestern United States who built rock or adobe dwellings on ledges in the sides of caves