citizen
English · Thesaurus
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citizen¹
- /ˈsɪtɪzən/ UK
- /ˈsɪtɪzən/ US
- /ˈsɪtɪsən/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English citeseyn (“inhabitant of a city or town”), citezein, citisein, from Anglo-Norman citesain (“city-dweller, town-dweller”), citesein, citezein, alteration of citeien from cite (“city”) + -ien (“-ain”) (probable variant of cithein perhaps influenced by dainzain (“denizen”), deinzein), from Old French cite (“city”) + -ien (whence French citoyen), from earlier citet, from Latin civitatem, citatem, from civis. See also city. Displaced native Old English burhsittend and Old English ceasterware.
noun citizens · cytesin
- A resident of a city or town, especially one with legally recognized rights or duties. [T]hat large body of the working men who were not counted as citizens and had not so much as a vote to serve as an anodyne to their stomachs were likely to get impatient.
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A legally recognized member of a state, with associated rights and obligations; a person considered in terms of this role.
I am a Roman citizen.
Similar: countryman, national · Opposite: alien, illegal alien, foreigner, illegal
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An inhabitant or occupant: a member of any place.
Diogenes reckoned himself a citizen of the world.
Similar: denizen, local, inhabitant, native, occupant, resident · Opposite: alien, outsider, stranger
- A resident of the heavenly city or (later) of the kingdom of God: a Christian; a good Christian.
- A civilian, as opposed to a police officer, soldier, or member of some other specialized (usually state) group.
- An ordinary person, as opposed to nobles and landed gentry on one side and peasants, craftsmen, and laborers on the other. [W]ould Mr. Delvile, who hardly ever spoke but to the high-born, without seeming to think his dignity somewhat injured, deign to receive for a daughter in law the child of a citizen and tradesman?
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A term of address among supporters of the French Revolution in France or elsewhere; (later, dated) a term of address among socialists and communists.
Citizen, I desire nothing more than to get to Paris, though I could dispense with the escort.
Similar: comrade
- A notional inhabitant of a software system; an object or a software application. The HIG delivers Apple's design commandments, the company's definition of what it means to be a good iPhone citizen.
Similar: burgess, burgher, denizen, townsman, townswoman · Opposite: countryfolk, country gentleman, countryman, peasant, villager
Citizen²
noun Citizens
- A personal Title denoting citizenship, implicitly of the nation in which it is spoken
- A pupil of City of London School
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: civic, compatriot, citizenship, bourgeois, citizenry, civics, people, population, national, community, inhabitant, belonger, nationality, resident, civil, capita
noun
Similar: burgess, burgher, denizen, townsman, townswoman · Opposite: countryfolk, country gentleman, countryman, peasant, villager
Translations
Every language
noun legal resident of a city
| 한국어 | 시민 simin |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 市民 shimin |
| 中文 | 市民 shìmín |
| Português | citadino, citadina |
| Français | citoyen, citoyenne, habitant, habitante |
| Deutsch | Einwohner, Einwohnerin, Bürger, Bürgerin |
| Italiano | cittadino, cittadina |
| Ελληνικά | δημότης dimótis |
| Русский | горожа́нин gorožánin, горожа́нка gorožánka, жи́тель žítelʹ, жи́тельница žítelʹnica |
noun legal member of a state
| Español | ciudadano, ciudadana |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 국민 gungmin |
| 日本語 | 公民 kōmin, 国民 kokumin |
| 中文 | 公民 gōngmín, 國民 /国民 guómín |
| हिन्दी | नागरिक nāgrik, शहरी śahrī |
| Kiswahili | mwananchi |
| Português | cidadão, cidadã |
| Français | citoyen, citoyenne |
| Deutsch | Staatsbürger, Staatsbürgerin, Bürger, Bürgerin |
| Italiano | cittadino, cittadina |
| Ελληνικά | πολίτης polítis, υπήκοος ypíkoos |
| Română | cetățean, cetățeană |
| Русский | граждани́н graždanín, гражда́нка graždánka, по́дданный póddannyj, по́дданная póddannaja |
| Tiếng Việt | công dân |
| العربية | مُوَاطِن muwāṭin, مُوَاطِنَة muwāṭina |
| עברית | אֶזרָח ezrákh |
noun resident of any particular place
| 한국어 | 주민 jumin |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 住民 jūmin |
| 中文 | 居民 jūmín |
| Português | morador, moradora, residente, habitante |
| Français | habitant, habitante, résident, résidente |
| Deutsch | Einwohner |
| Italiano | cittadino, cittadina, residente |
| Ελληνικά | κάτοικος kátoikos |
| Русский | жи́тель žítelʹ, жи́тельница žítelʹnica |
| العربية | سَاكِن sākin, سَاكِنَة sākina |
noun civilian
| 한국어 | 민간인 min'ganin |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 文民 bunmin, 民間人 minkanjin |
| 中文 | 平民 píngmín |
| Português | civil |
| Français | civil, civile |
| Deutsch | Zivilist, Zivilistin |
| Italiano | civile |
| Ελληνικά | πολίτης polítis |
| Română | civil, civilă |
| Русский | гражда́нское лицо́ graždánskoje licó, гражда́нский челове́к graždánskij čelovék, гражда́нский graždánskij, шта́тский štátskij, ми́рный жи́тель mírnyj žítelʹ, ми́рная жи́тельница mírnaja žítelʹnica |
| العربية | مَدَنِيّ madaniyy, مَدَنِيَّة madaniyya |
| עברית | אֶזְרָח ezrákh, אֶזְרָחִית ezrakhít |
noun antonym to "subject"
| 日本語 | 臣民 shinmin, 人民 jinmin, 民衆 minshū, 民 tami |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 市民 shìmín |
| Português | cidadão |
| Ελληνικά | πολίτης polítis |
| Русский | граждани́н graždanín, гражда́нка graždánka |
Talk about this word "citizen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/citizen. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. citizen. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/citizen "citizen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/citizen.Cite this
@misc{citizen_2026,
title = {citizen},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/citizen},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
