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

Led by Elmore County Prosecutor Shondi Lott, the prosecutor’s office in December 2025 filed its notice of intent to seek the death penalty for Hamilton, an Australian citizen, court records showed. — Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026

Villarreal Ortiz obtained permanent residence by falsely identifying his aunt, a naturalized American citizen, as his mother and later concealed that deception when applying for citizenship, prosecutors say. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026

Voting rights groups had challenged the effort, noting federal data includes errors that have led to citizens being wrongly removed from electoral rolls. — Patrick Marley, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

In these latest strikes, Ukraine struck a Yandex data center in Sasovo, Ryazan region, on Wednesday, causing widespread internet outages for Russian citizens. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing citizen

• senior citizen