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

McDonnell said the department was “looking for opportunities” to leverage technology such as AI to address the backlog, and suggested the possibility of redeploying civilian staff to the unit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

That compares with the average civilian, who may experience three to four in a lifetime.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

It also reported two US missiles hit Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant and a frequent target of Washington's strikes.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

President Trump said a landmark civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia is subject to the kingdom normalizing relations with Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

I had new clothes, made by tailors in the camp who ripped apart military uniforms at the seams and refashioned them into civilian clothes.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Under the law of armed conflict, striking power infrastructure is permissible if it makes a concrete contribution to a military operation and the potential harm to civilians is minimized.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

As the war expands, there’s been heightened concern about the infrastructure that civilians in neighboring countries rely on for water and power.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Researchers have described a “civilizing effect” on officers and civilians alike, who know their conduct is being recorded and can be reviewed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Eleven civilians and 24 soldiers were found guilty of involvement in the coup attempt and received long prison terms in 2024.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

“The regulations permit civilians to deliver food and sundry provisions.”

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

• citizen
• noncombatant