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

President Donald Trump on Friday announced the creation of a "Space Academy" to train future civilian and military recruits for an arena where the United States faces rivalry with China.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

But following January clashes that saw the Kurds lose large chunks of territory to government troops, the two sides signed a deal to integrate Kurdish military and civilian institutions into the state.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Whenever I try to ask him about specific attacks that took place in civilian areas, he evades the question.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

M is not governed by the usual impulses of the civilian; she has no use for love or hate, desire or abnegation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

His father had laughed and said no, he’d just be doing pretty much what he did as a civilian: laying wires.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

The Israeli military reported 72 deaths, and at least 50 civilians have died, according to news reports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

They witnessed families separated, babies passed over fences, civilians crushed in the crowds, and Afghan allies turned away because they lacked the necessary paperwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

"Sudan suffers the most from weapons and their illegal flow. However, expanding such a sanctions regime will weaken the protection of civilians," said Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

They began life as civilians with interviews about their relationship with the royals before pivoting to new fields of interest, including media production and lifestyle, which now appears to Meghan's focus.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

On August 6, there were about 280,000 civilians living in Hiroshima, and 43,000 soldiers.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• citizen
• noncombatant