civilian

noun

A person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.

(informal) A person who does not belong to a particular group or engage in a particular activity, an outsider.

(Indian English) An employee of the civil service.

One skilled in civil law.

A student of civil law at a university or college.

adjective

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

Roots

civisciv- · Latin · citizen

Synonyms for civilian

noncombatantadj citizenn

Synonyms & related words for civilian

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of civilian — including noncombatant, citizen. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to civilian

Explore words related to civilian — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include nonmilitary, unmilitary, civil, military, unsoldierly, civvies, civism, pourpoint. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for civilian

Common synonyms for civilian include noncombatant, citizen — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does civilian come from?

The word civilian breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root civ-, from Latin civis (“citizen”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.