civilian

American  

[si-vil-yuhn] / sɪˈvɪl yən /

noun

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

• anticivilian adjective
• noncivilian noun
• procivilian adjective

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

“American companies can compete and win in the civilian drone market against products from our adversaries.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

On Saturday evening, Mali's military rulers said the attacks had resulted in 16 civilian and military injuries and "limited material damage".

From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026

The successful launch of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in 1957 proved that nuclear energy could be safely harnessed to generate electricity for civilian grids.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Reports of civilian casualties from U.S. operations also muddy the death tolls, especially in Somalia and Yemen.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

But she doesn’t talk about what happened to her between unlocking the gates of Buchenwald and her later life as a civilian with a family.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• citizen
• noncombatant