Civilian is believed to have been used to refer to non-combatants as early as 1829. The term "non-combatant" now refers to people in general who are not taking part of hostilities in time of …

The meaning of CIVILIAN is a specialist in Roman or modern civil law. How to use civilian in a sentence.

CIVILIAN definition: a person who is not on active duty with a military, naval, police, or fire fighting organization. See examples of civilian used in a sentence.

CIVILIAN definition: 1. a person who is not a member of the police or the armed forces: 2. an ordinary person who is…. Learn more.

In a military situation, civilian is used to describe people or things that are not military.

civilian (sɪˈvɪljən) n (Military) a. a person whose primary occupation is civil or nonmilitary

There are nine meanings listed in OED's entry for the word civilian, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

The most common meaning for civilian is simply someone who is not in the military. It can also refer to any object that is not military in origin — e.g., "civilian clothes" or "civilian life."

CIVILIAN meaning: a person who is not a member of the military or of a police or firefighting force

Definition of civilian noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.