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

“Job well done to the tens of thousands of American service members, diplomats, and civilian personnel who answered the call in Iraq,” said Adm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

United Nations officials have warned about the increasing numbers of civilian victims in the war.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

"Rapid alerts about missile and drone threats are essential - they save lives. This is critical civilian infrastructure... It is not a military target. It is essential to keeping everyday life functioning," Sybiha said.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

A total of 39.1% of workers in the civilian labor force hold such jobs, the BLS said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

As we watched, a group of men dressed in civilian clothes emerged from under the tiny bushes.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

The Taliban government denies this and criticises Pakistan for violating Afghanistan's sovereignty and killing civilians.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

And “One Man In” is a puzzling title: Mr. Craighead wasn’t a sole actor but was accompanied by paramilitary officers from Kenya and a crew of security personnel and civilians.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The UN mission Unama also confirmed that at least three civilians were killed.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Armies, displaced civilians, refugees, and traders frequently traveled along the same routes, creating opportunities for disease to move between regions.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

By 1997, the United States Congress had voted some 280 Congressional Gold Medals to civilians since its inception in 1776.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Related Words

• citizen
• noncombatant