civilian

Meaning

Noun

1. A person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.
2. (informal) A person who does not belong to a particular group or engage in a particular activity, an outsider.
3. One skilled in civil law.
4. A student of civil law at a university or college.
5. An employee of the civil service.

Adj

Not related to the military, police or other governmental professions.

Synonyms

civil

citizen

common people

people

🧑‍🤝‍🧑

civic

inhabitant

non-combatant

folk

plebeian

civvy

private

nonmilitary

plain clothes

politic

political

popular

private citizen

private person

resident

towner

townsman

unmilitary

unofficial

villager

plain-clothes

non-government person

noncombatants

ordinary citizen

burgess

civvie

burgher

clothes

clothing

commoner

countryside

courteous

freemen

literary man

literati

neutral

official

Pronounced as (IPA)

/sɪˈvɪljən/

Etymology

From Middle English cyvylien, from Old French civilien. Equivalent to civil + -ian.