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as in civil
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Recent Examples of civilian
Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
According to the report, officers were flagged down by an unknown civilian who told them a white truck was swerving in and out of traffic and that the driver might be drunk.
—arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
In Caracas Thursday morning, a couple hundred people gathered at a public plaza including ruling party supporters, state employees and civilian militia members.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for civilian
Noun
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
According to the report, officers were flagged down by an unknown civilian who told them a white truck was swerving in and out of traffic and that the driver might be drunk.
—arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The postal service has one of the world’s largest civilian fleets with 246,503 vehicles, according to a statement, and a million miles is the equivalent of driving from the moon to earth more than four times.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
In Caracas Thursday morning, a couple hundred people gathered at a public plaza including ruling party supporters, state employees and civilian militia members.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 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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Around this time Denise and Aaron filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Vallejo claiming defamation and emotional distress.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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The discussion mirrors other high-profile cases, including the civil trial between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, where millions of viewers analyzed their relationship in real time and debated who was the victim.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Civilian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civilian. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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