civilian

American  

[si-vil-yuhn] / sɪˈvɪl jən /

noun

civilians plural

1. a person who is not on active duty with a military, naval, police, or fire fighting organization.

2. Informal. anyone regarded by members of a profession, interest group, society, etc., as not belonging; nonprofessional; outsider.

   We need a producer to run the movie studio, not some civilian from the business world.

3. a person versed in or studying Roman or civil law.

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adjective

1. of, pertaining to, formed by, or administered by civilians.

civilian British  

/ sɪˈvɪljən /

noun

1. 1. a person whose primary occupation is civil or nonmilitary

   2. ( as modifier )

      civilian life

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncivilian
  noun
• anticivilian
  adjective
• procivilian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• civilians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of civilian

1350–1400; Middle English: student of civil law < Old French civilien (adj.); see civil, -ian

Explanation

The most common meaning for civilian is simply someone who is not in the military. It can also refer to any object that is not military in origin — e.g., "civilian clothes" or "civilian life." The meaning of civilian as a non military person is a relatively new one, dating from the early 19th century. Before that it referred to the code of law that governed non-military life. In fact for hundreds of years a civilian was somebody who was a judge or otherwise an expert on the law that applied outside military courts. Because it comes originally from a French word, remember to spell it with only one "l," even though it sounds like it should have two.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

civilian civilians

When he came back to his civilian practice in New Jersey, he said he could barely sleep.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

The civilian officials running Iran’s negotiations are among the weakest surviving actors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

It brokered the two truces and threw its weight behind then junta chief Min Aung Hlaing when he mounted elections he touted as a return to civilian rule.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

"I would never intentionally murder an innocent civilian woman."

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

“I was just wondering,” I say when I notice Mr. Trixie dressed in civilian clothes.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

Besigye initially faced a court martial but the case was later moved to a civilian court after the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

The sweet-talking civilians don’t have weapons or control over the nuclear program, but the others do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

“Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way,” it said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

"Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way," the IDF said.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

There were thousands of Japanese, soldiers and civilians both, in those attacks.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac

Related Words

• citizen
• noncombatant