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

The U.S. launched wide-scale strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on Saturday in response to the killing of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter last month.

From The Wall Street Journal

Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP that 300 "young Kurds" had been arrested, stating that they were "civilians, not fighters".

From Barron's

China’s Ministry of Commerce said Thursday that exports of goods for civilian use wouldn’t be affected.

From The Wall Street Journal

U.S. cyber and intelligence can help with “leveling the battlefield for unarmed civilians facing an armed regime,” he writes.

From The Wall Street Journal

In March 2025, the Kurdish-led SDF, which controls much of Syria's north-east and has tens of thousands of fighters, signed a deal to integrate all military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state.

From BBC

Related Words

• citizen
• noncombatant