Synonyms of citizen

citizen

noun

ˈsi-tə-zən 

1

as in national

a person who owes allegiance to a government and is protected by it

conscientious citizens who regard voting as a duty as well as a right

Synonyms & Similar Words

• national
• resident
• freeman
• subject
• inhabitant
• native
• countryman
• compatriot
• nonimmigrant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• alien
• foreigner
• stranger
• noncitizen
• immigrant
• nonnative

2

as in villager

a person who lives in a town on a permanent basis

claimed that the good citizens of the town were sick of high property taxes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• villager
• resident
• inhabitant
• native
• townsman
• burgher
• occupant
• resider
• townspeople
• town
• national
• habitant
• townie
• dweller
• denizen
• townswoman
• townsfolk
• suburbanite
• subject
• cliff dweller
• urbanite

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• visitor
• tourist
• foreigner
• guest
• alien
• noncitizen
• transient
• nonnative
• gownsman

Synonym Chooser

How is the word citizen distinct from other similar nouns?

The words national and subject are common synonyms of citizen. While all three words mean "a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state," citizen is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people.

the rights of a free citizen

Where would national be a reasonable alternative to citizen?

Although the words national and citizen have much in common, national designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state.

American nationals working in the Middle East

When could subject be used to replace citizen?

The meanings of subject and citizen largely overlap; however, subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.

the king's subjects

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of citizen

Starmer’s visit comes less than two months after a Hong Kong court convicted Jimmy Lai, a former newspaper publisher and British citizen, under a national security law that Beijing imposed on the territory after massive pro-democracy protests in 2019. —Ken Moritsugu, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026

Imagine the wartime use of leaflets that were dropped in large quantities over battlefields, or onto townships, and contained a single message that was intended to mentally unbalance large numbers of citizens or soldiers. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Between the 2015-2019 survey and the new one, Cabarrus County saw the highest increase in non-citizens at 55%, increasing from 9,780 to almost 15,200 people. —Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2026

Her statements today, however, conflict with prior guidance issued by the Bureau of Elections regarding how non-citizens appearing on the voter rolls should be addressed. —Christina Hall, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Phrases Containing citizen

• senior citizen