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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
  • Many of the dozens missing in its environs were foreign nationals, chiefly Indian or Indian-origin pilgrims who were returning from, or preparing to make, the journey further into Tibet to Mount Kailash, a holy site for Hindus and Buddhists.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The Nepal Tourism Board said 261 foreign nationals have been rescued.
    — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of nationals
Noun
  • His painting of The Last Supper (1986) shows a group of villagers sitting cross-legged on a rug, surrounding a round table and sharing food from a round tray.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Though the pirates and villagers celebrate the defeat of Wapol, One Piece season 2 ends with Luffy agreeing to help Princess Vivi, whose homeland of Alabasta is the target of a dangerous plot hatched by Baroque Works.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of villagers
Noun
  • Baltimore-area residents can expect a mostly sunny and comfortable Saturday before temperatures climb into the 90s and chances for showers and thunderstorms return during the coming week.
    — The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Sun, 29 Aug. 2026
  • His campaign website includes a section dedicated to investing in rural communities, and Talarico has focused on data center policy in recent weeks, holding a roundtable in Abilene on the subject that has rattled the state’s rural residents.
    — Eleanor Dearman Updated August 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 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

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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 4 Sep. 2026.

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