civilian

1 of 2

noun

ci·​vil·​ian sə-ˈvil-yən How to pronounce civilian (audio)
 also  -ˈvi-yən
1
: a specialist in Roman or modern civil law
2
a
: one not on active duty in the armed services or not on a police or firefighting force

civilian

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: of, relating to, or made up of civilians
civilian concerns/demands
the civilian population
civilian customers/casualties
The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the highest civilian honors in the United States.
b
: having the status of a civilian
a civilian pilot
2
: operated or controlled by civilians
civilian industry
: possessed by or vested in civilians
civilian authority
3
: intended or suited for use or consumption by civilians
civilian goods
With twin 2,520-horsepower engines and up to 19 seats, the Sikorsky S-92 is among the world's most powerful civilian helicopters.Josh Harkinson

Examples of civilian in a Sentence

Noun The bomb injured 12 civilians.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The United Nations imposed sanctions on him in 2022 for allegedly leading massacres of civilians as an officer with the Haitian National Police, and more recently in his current role as head of the G9 Family and Allies coalition of armed gangs. Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, with most of the casualties being Palestinian civilians. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024 As of this weekend, the Biden administration has yet to see any kind of humanitarian or evacuation plan from the Israeli government that seeks to ensure the safety of civilians in Rafah before launching a military operation there, the two US officials said Sunday. Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 And a leader of one of Ukraine's Christian churches on Sunday said that only the country's determined resistance to Moscow's full-scale invasion, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, 2022, had prevented a mass slaughter of civilians. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Mar. 2024 Biden, in an interview with MSNBC, had urged Netanyahu to curb the death toll of civilians in Gaza but asserted that the U.S. has no plans to cut off the supply of weapons to the Israeli military. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 In Thursday's address, the president announced the U.S. military will build a temporary emergency pier to facilitate the delivery of aid to civilians desperate for food and medicine. Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 Last week, a drone hit a residential building, killing 12 civilians. Constant Méheut, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The vice president underscored the need for a credible plan to reduce the risk to civilians before Israel launches any major military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the White House said in a statement. Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Most civilian hearing examiners are former prosecutors, judges, clergy or arbitrators. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 From the get-go, Biden tried to balance his support for Israel with lectures about protecting civilian lives and ensuring more humanitarian aid be let into Gaza. The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024 The civilian death toll has prompted protests around the world. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024 The only authorities on the streets these days are Gaza’s economy ministry monitors, dressed in black civilian clothes, who occasionally inspect markets in Rafah and Deir al-Balah to try to stamp out price gouging by pressuring vendors to sell their goods at normal prices. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024 The Kurdish fighters guard the camp’s perimeter in swat vehicles, and a primarily Kurdish civilian administration manages the camp bureaucracy, coördinating with aid organizations to distribute rations and deliver such basic services as sewage treatment and water. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 The report said that Russian air and artillery strikes hit civilian sites, including hospitals, residential buildings and food storage and distribution centers. Constant Méheut, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The civilian oversight board that examines complaints about the Sheriff’s and Probation departments also recommended those investigations’ findings be regularly released to the public. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 The president has also sought to send funds to Israel for its war against Hamas but has run into opposition from fellow Democrats concerned about rising civilian death tolls in the Gaza Strip. Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civilian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of civilian was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near civilian

Cite this Entry

“Civilian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civilian. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

civilian

noun
ci·​vil·​ian sə-ˈvil-yən How to pronounce civilian (audio)
: a person not on active duty in the armed services or not on a police or firefighting force
civilian adjective

Legal Definition

civilian

1 of 2 noun
ci·​vil·​ian
: a specialist in Roman or modern civil law

civilian

2 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to civil law as distinguished from common law
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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