noun
civilian
sih-VIHL-yuhn
noun
1
A person who is not a member of the armed forces, police, or similar organisation.
"The convoy was ordered not to fire near civilians."
"After the army, he struggled to adjust to civilian life."
adj
1
Not related to the military, police, or other uniformed services.
"He swapped his uniform for civilian clothes on the weekend."
How to Use Civilian
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn ordinary person outside the military, police, or similar organisations — or an adjective describing that ordinary, non-uniformed world.
Common pairings
civilian life
civilian clothes
innocent civilians
Word Forms
civilians plural
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Etymology
From Old French civilien, built from civil plus the suffix -ian.