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.); civil, -ian

Example Sentences

In December 2025, Israel and Lebanon sent civilian envoys to the Lebanese border town of Naqoura for their first direct talks in decades - but strikes have continued.

From BBC

The U.S. last year proposed that Iran keep its civilian nuclear-energy program.

From The Wall Street Journal

The day of the Russian invasion, Serhii – a civilian with a government job - joined the army.

From BBC

The population of the camp also included many ordinary civilians who ended up detained in the chaos at the end of Islamic State’s rule, according to a U.S. defense official and experts.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ranging from cheap commercial devices designed for civilian use to explosive-packed miniature aircraft, drones are responsible for up to 80 percent of battlefield damage, Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said.

From Barron's

Related Words

• citizen
• noncombatant