Civilian
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /sɪˈvɪl.jən/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Civilian is a noun meaning A person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.
Meaning
A person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.
More Meanings
- (informal) A person who does not belong to a particular group or engage in a particular activity, an outsider.
- One skilled in civil law.
- A student of civil law at a university or college.
- (criminal slang) A person not affiliated with a gang.
- (Indian English) An employee of the civil service.
- Not related to the military, police or other governmental professions.
Example Sentences
Ancient civilians and writers upon government.
An army never can be commanded or controlled by civilians.
I have this vision one day that I'll walk amongst you a regular civilian.
The three detainees were actually army defectors wearing civilian clothing.
Word Forms
- civilians
Synonyms for civilian
Depending on context, synonyms include noncombatant, civil.
Antonyms for civilian
Common opposites include military, man, serviceman.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include civil, noncombatant, plainclothes, white-collar, military, city.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.