civilian

civilian — noun

1. a person who does not serve in the military, the police, or any armed group and

1.nounC2
Definition

a person who does not serve in the military, the police, or any armed group and therefore is not part of active combat.

Example

The bomb attack killed twelve soldiers and three civilians.

After leaving the army, Diego returned to civilian life and started a small farm.

collocation: civilian life

Common collocations
  • innocent civilians
  • unarmed civilians
  • civilian casualties
  • civilian population
  • civilian life
Synonyms
  • noncombatant

    narrower term used in wartime for military personnel who do not fight (e.g., medics, chaplains) — not a full synonym

  • ordinary person

    less specific; describes anyone not notable, without the military/police contrast

Antonyms

Usage Note

Frequently appears in the plural (civilians), especially in news reports about armed conflict. Common set phrases: innocent civilians, civilian casualties, civilian population. Unlike 'citizen', this word only applies to people outside military or police service, regardless of nationality.

Common Mistakes

Soldiers are also civilians when off duty.
Soldiers are never called civilians
a person is a civilian only if they are not in the military at all.' — Membership in the armed forces, not activity status, defines who is a civilian.

2. a person who lacks fame or does not belong to a specific professional circle or

2.noun
Definition

a person who lacks fame or does not belong to a specific professional circle or group.

Example

The book explains medical terms in a way that civilians can understand.

contrast: civilians vs. medical professionals

At the film festival, Nadia felt like a civilian among famous directors.

Common collocations
  • ordinary civilian
  • just a civilian
  • civilians can understand
Synonyms
  • layperson

    more specific — someone without professional training in a given field

  • ordinary person

    direct synonym with no special nuance

  • outsider

    stronger connotation of being excluded, not just outside a group

Antonyms

Usage Note

Often paired with 'ordinary' or 'just/really' to highlight the contrast with experts, celebrities, or insiders. This sense carries no military meaning — it is about being outside a particular circle or profession.

Common Mistakes

She is a famous civilian.
She is a well-known public figure, not a civilian.
In this sense, 'civilian' describes someone ordinary and not famous; pairing it with 'famous' creates a contradiction.

civilian — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Civilian refers specifically to someone who is not a member of the armed forces or police, and is strongly tied to contexts of war, conflict, or military service. Citizen is a much broader legal term for any recognized member of a country — soldiers are citizens but are never called civilians. Noncombatant, used almost exclusively in wartime, describes military personnel who do not take part in fighting (e.g., medics, chaplains), so it is a narrower category than civilian. Layperson means someone without specialist knowledge in a particular field and carries no military contrast at all. For example: 'The army was ordered to protect both soldiers and civilians.' 'As a citizen, she could vote, but as a civilian, she had no role in combat.' 'The manual was written for laypeople, not medical professionals.'

civilian ↗citizen ↗noncombatantlayperson ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • military and civilian
  • civilian or military

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Civilian entered English in the late 1300s from Old French 'civilien', meaning 'a judge or authority on civil law'. It traces back to Latin 'civilis' (relating to citizens), from 'civis' (citizen). The modern meaning of 'non-military person' emerged around the early 1800s as armies grew larger and a clearer distinction between soldiers and ordinary people became necessary.