civilian

/sɪˈvɪl.jən/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: civilians

Sense 1

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một người theo đuổi cuộc sống dân sự, đặc biệt là những người không phải là thành viên hoạt động của lực lượng vũ trang

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

An army never can be commanded or controlled by civilians.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một người không thuộc về một nhóm cụ thể hoặc không tham gia vào một hoạt động cụ thể, một người ngoài

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NounRegister: informal

Examples

I have this vision one day that I'll walk amongst you a regular civilian.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Không liên quan đến quân sự, cảnh sát hoặc các nghề nghiệp chính phủ khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

The three detainees were actually army defectors wearing civilian clothing.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “civilian” mean?

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

Is “civilian” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.