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

Cursor’s oldest cofounder, Pakistani citizen Sualeh Asif, is also 26. — Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Inspired by true events, her feature film debut tells the dark story of a small northeastern German village at the end of WWII, when the Nazi regime gave its citizens the order to leave nothing alive for the enemy to find. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026

Hochul’s Glock ban targets the most popular handguns in the country and seeks to punish honest citizens simply for wanting to protect themselves and their families. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2026

Hoskins claims that the campaign is unconstitutional and that the Missouri Constitution bars citizens from voting on redistricting. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing citizen

• senior citizen