citizen

noun

ˈsi-tə-zən How to pronounce citizen (audio)
Definition of citizennext
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

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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

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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

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 citizen Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens last month to avoid foreign travel and buying gold, to ease the pressure on the local currency. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 The State Department’s move comes after two US citizens were labeled as wrongfully detained earlier this year, and at a complex moment in the relationships between the two most powerful countries in the world. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026 At the same time, the extraordinary growth of bird-watching and citizen science has created another revolution. — Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026 The settlement comes after a scathing 2024 DOJ report said the Lexington Police Department routinely violated citizens' civil rights in the rural, poor, majority-Black city located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) north of the state's capital. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for citizen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for citizen
  1. national
  2. villager
  3. resident
  4. inhabitant
Noun
  • All the survivors were Ethiopian nationals, according to the agency.
    — Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The Houthis claimed attacks earlier in the week on King Khalid International Airport that killed three Saudis, including a pilot, and a Sudanese national.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of national
Noun
  • Naibaho described how some villagers in Sumatra are paid up to 15 million Indonesian rupiah ($846) to poach a baby orangutan.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Authorities had moved the start of a curfew forward without ensuring that villagers working outside knew about it.
    — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of villager
Noun
  • Thirty-three years later, the building was converted into the Calistoga Hospital (where many notable Napa residents were born) until its closure in 1964.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Yet despite the construction boom and falling rents, Pew noted that housing gaps remain even larger for lower-income residents, especially those hoping to buy a home.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of resident
Noun
  • The very few people who live there work on sheep ranches, and in some areas the population density is as low as one-tenth of an inhabitant per square mile.
    — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • For a long time, bunkers were designed to protect inhabitants from the fallout of nuclear weapons.
    — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of inhabitant

Phrases Containing citizen

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Cite this Entry

“Citizen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/citizen. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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