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as in civil
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Recent Examples of civilian
Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
Defense secretaries don’t usually get involved in decisions about the careers of colonels and other mid-level commanders, given that the lead civilian in the Pentagon is supposed to oversee war planning, a department of 3 million people, and America’s nuclear arsenal.
—Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
This level of detail highlights the seriousness of the threat and raises concerns about potential civilian exposure.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civilian
Noun
One night in January, the Russian military reportedly shot down twenty-five Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region; one civilian was killed, and the debris from a drone crashed into an apartment block, injuring four others.
—Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
Defense secretaries don’t usually get involved in decisions about the careers of colonels and other mid-level commanders, given that the lead civilian in the Pentagon is supposed to oversee war planning, a department of 3 million people, and America’s nuclear arsenal.
—Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The location served as a resource for residents during World War II, sharing information about air raids, bomb shelters and civilian and military defense jobs.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
This level of detail highlights the seriousness of the threat and raises concerns about potential civilian exposure.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civilian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civilian
Noun
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The government accused the Druze of resisting its rule and, in combination with tens of thousands of Bedouin tribal fighters, attacked Druze villages, killing hundreds of people, including many noncombatants.—
Steven N. Simon,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Sep. 2025
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His cases there included the successful prosecution — in a 25-month trial — of a Croatian general who ordered the slaughter of Muslim noncombatants.—
Dan Sullivan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Near the top, mounds built over Cold War civil-defense structures offered city views.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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While many of the California laws banning the political use of public office are civil statutes, one is a criminal statute.—
Will Swaim,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Civilian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civilian. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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