The war has taken a terrible toll on the civilian population.
Source: tatoeba (1881729)
Civilian
/sɪˈvɪl.jən/
Synonyms for "civilian" (79 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (16)
Adjective(2 words)
civilcivil case
Noun(9 words)
civil lawscivil servantcivilian attirecivilian employeecivilian staffcivilian usecivilianizingcommonerconsumer use
Strong matches (24)
corporation lawyercourt-appointed lawyercriminal lawyerdadefense counseldistrict attorneyirenicjunior counselkclaw agentleadermouthpiecenonaggressivenonbelligerentnoncombatant
Adjective(4 words)
Determiner(1 words)
most civil progress index
Related words (39)
Noun(12 words)
noncombatantnoncombatantsnoneducatornongovernmental organizationnonlawyernonmilitarynonmilitary agreementnonmilitary useordinary personportuguese civilprivate citizenpublic
Adverb(1 words)
Adjective(5 words)
nonresistantnonresisternonviolentpacificpacifisticpeaceableprivate attorneyprosecuting attorneyprosecutorpublic prosecutorpublicistqcsilksilk gownsolicitor generalspecial pleadersscstuff gownstuff-gownsmanunhostile
Show 1 more word
us attorney
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ag, attorney general, citizen, civil, civil.
- Sentence evidence is available for civilian, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, opengloss.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "civilian".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "civilian"
Keep "civilian" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "civilian" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "civilian", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "civilian" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
6 entriesMore specific
11 entriesCollocations
9 entriescivilian authoritiescivilian casualtiescivilian clothingcivilian governmentcivilian lifecivilian oversightcivilian populationcivilian sectorcivilian use
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
5 entriesAntonyms
2 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
96 translations across 50 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- civil noun (non-military person)
Arabic
2 entries- مَدَنِيَّة noun (non-military person)
- مَدَنِيّ noun (non-military person)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- dinc sakin noun (non-military person)
Belarusian
2 entries- цыві́льная асо́ба noun (non-military person)
- цыві́льны чалаве́к noun (non-military person)
Bulgarian
4 entries- гражданско лице noun (non-military person)
- мирен жител noun (non-military person)
- мирна жителка noun (non-military person)
- циви́лен noun (non-military person)
Burmese
1 entries- အရပ်သား noun (non-military person)
Catalan
1 entries- paisà noun (non-military person)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 平民 noun (non-military person)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 平民 noun (non-military person)
Czech
2 entries- civilista noun (non-military person)
- civilistka noun (non-military person)
Danish
1 entries- civilist noun (non-military person)
Dutch
1 entries- burger noun (non-military person)
Esperanto
1 entries- civilulo noun (non-military person)
Estonian
2 entries- eraisik noun (non-military person)
- tsivilist noun (non-military person)
Finnish
1 entries- siviili noun (non-military person)
French
2 entries- civil noun (non-military person)
- civile noun (non-military person)
Georgian
1 entries- სამოქალაქო პირი noun (non-military person)
German
3 entries- Zivilist noun (non-military person)
- Zivilistin noun (non-military person)
- Zivilperson noun (non-military person)
Greek
1 entries- πολίτης noun (non-military person)
Hebrew
2 entries- אֶזְרָח noun (non-military person)
- אֶזְרָחִית noun (non-military person)
Hindi
1 entries- नागरिक noun (non-military person)
Hungarian
3 entries- civil noun (non-military person)
- civil személy noun (non-military person)
- polgári személy noun (non-military person)
Iranian Persian
2 entries- شَخْصِ غِیْرِنِظامی noun (non-military person)
- غِیْرِنِظامی noun (non-military person)
Irish
1 entries- sibhialtach noun (non-military person)
Italian
1 entries- civile noun (non-military person)
Japanese
2 entries- 文民 noun (non-military person)
- 民間人 noun (non-military person)
Khmer
2 entries- ជនស៊ីវិល noun (non-military person)
- អយោធ noun (non-military person)
Korean
1 entries- 민간인 noun (non-military person)
Lao
2 entries- ພົນລະເຮືອນ noun (non-military person)
- ພໍ່ເຮືອນ noun (non-military person)
Latvian
2 entries- civiliste noun (non-military person)
- civilists noun (non-military person)
Lithuanian
2 entries- civilis noun (non-military person)
- civilisė noun (non-military person)
Macedonian
1 entries- цивил noun (non-military person)
Malay
2 entries- orang awam noun (non-military person)
- orang periman noun (non-military person)
Mongolian
1 entries- иргэн noun (non-military person)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- sivilist noun (non-military person)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- sivilist noun (non-military person)
Polish
1 entries- cywil noun (non-military person)
Portuguese
1 entries- civil noun (non-military person)
Romanian
2 entries- civil noun (non-military person)
- civilă noun (non-military person)
Russian
4 entries- гражда́нский noun (non-military person)
- гражда́нский челове́к noun (non-military person)
- гражда́нское лицо́ noun (non-military person)
- ми́рная жи́тельница noun (non-military person)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- civilistica noun (non-military person)
- civìlist noun (non-military person)
- civìlistkinja noun (non-military person)
- cìvīl noun (non-military person)
Slovak
2 entries- civilista noun (non-military person)
- civilistka noun (non-military person)
Slovene
2 entries- civilist noun (non-military person)
- civilistka noun (non-military person)
Spanish
2 entries- civil noun (non-military person)
- paisano noun (non-military person)
Swedish
2 entries- civil noun (non-military person)
- civilist noun (non-military person)
Tajik
3 entries- шахси гражданӣ noun (non-military person)
- шахси ғайринизомӣ noun (non-military person)
- ғайринизомӣ noun (non-military person)
Thai
1 entries- พลเรือน noun (non-military person)
Turkish
1 entries- sivil noun (non-military person)
Ukrainian
3 entries- циві́льна люди́на noun (non-military person)
- циві́льна осо́ба noun (non-military person)
- циві́льний noun (non-military person)
Vietnamese
3 entries- dân thường noun (non-military person)
- người thường noun (non-military person)
- thường dân noun (non-military person)
Sample sentences
18 total sentences available.
I'm a civilian.
Source: tatoeba (2247885)
Tom is a civilian.
Source: tatoeba (2272774)
Many soldiers had a hard time coping with civilian life after the war.
Source: tatoeba (3305045)
Showing 4 of 18 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "civilian"?
Closest matches include ag, attorney general, citizen, civil, civil.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "civilian"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.