civilian
Americannoun
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a person who is not on active duty with a military, naval, police, or fire fighting organization.
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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.
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a person versed in or studying Roman or civil law.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing civilian
We the People: Civ
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dozens of U.S. tankers were parked in Israel’s main civilian airport and other sites in Israel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
People who conscientiously oppose military service have since 1996 been permitted to perform civilian service instead.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
Daytime populations can reach about 70,000 military and civilian personnel.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
An AFP correspondent saw around a dozen vehicles, including some military trucks and heavy machinery as well as civilian vehicles, heading out of Nabatieh on Sunday.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
That day, President Obama awarded me the highest honor our nation can award a civilian: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
