citizens

noun

plural of citizen
1
as in nationals
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

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2
as in villagers
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of citizens In this small city, citizens were brought together by frustration over large, corporate health systems that can seem to put profits over patients. — Noam Levey, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 The national police and the army were helping, along with citizens, Thapa said. — Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 For more than a century, Americans have commonly asked how public schools could do a better job of teaching people to be good citizens. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 1 Sep. 2026 The Israeli Ministry of Interior has not yet responded to the group’s letter about Code 51, the criteria used to remove expats from the voter registry, or the total number of citizens affected by the regulation. — Natasha Mozgovaya, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026 Everyone loses, particularly the regular citizens of both countries involved, who face sometimes insurmountable shocks to their businesses. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Ordinary citizens were often left to deal with the aftermath. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 The debate inside Venezuela keeps returning to the question of whether a new era of oil wealth can finally reach ordinary citizens. — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2026 Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK as private citizens and will not be resuming any official duties on behalf of King Charles III. — Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for citizens
  1. nationals
  2. villagers
  3. residents
  4. inhabitants
Noun
  • Some 589 foreign nationals are among the missing, the NDRRMA said in their update.
    — Kosh Raj Koirala, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The South Korean nationals are among a growing number of people who have been abducted in recent months as for-ransom kidnappings remain a persistent threat as armed groups continue to expand their terriroties.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of nationals
Noun
  • Dozens of Nepali villagers who were stranded by the deadly floods lined up for days to return home via a makeshift zip line on Friday.
    — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In a moment, Vicente, who is in his early 60s, will join dozens of other villagers by the side of the main road who have gathered to watch stage nine of the Vuelta a España pass through.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of villagers
Noun
  • Officers located two additional adult suspects, also Sacramento residents.
    — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The 2026 midterm elections are also demonstrating how issues that begin as disputes between local governments and residents can spread across the country and become part of national political identities.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of residents
Noun
  • There, the tyrannical February has condemned its inhabitants to eternal winter and forbids them from flying, while a masked resistance movement known as The Solution fights to restore light and freedom.
    — Alexandra Patterson, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The infamous explosion covered Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic debris, immortalizing the final moments of the ancient Roman cities and some of their unfortunate inhabitants in stunning detail.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of inhabitants

Browse Nearby Words

citizenry
citizens
city
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Cite this Entry

“Citizens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/citizens. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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