CITIZEN Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

citizen

noun

ˈsi-tə-zən

Definition of citizen next

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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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

Examples 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 The attacker, a U.S. citizen who had proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group, was fatally shot in a firefight with police. —

Jack Brook and Sara Cline, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025 North Dakota is one of 18 states that allow citizens to propose and vote on amendments to the state constitution. —

Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2025 The Journal also reported technological solutions for taking down the Virginia drones, like signal jamming or destructive technology, would have been risky for citizens and planes. —

Stephen Pastis, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024 Inflation an ‘alarming signal’ The hold to interest rates comes even after Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted during his Thursday annual Q&A session with Russian citizens that the nation’s inflation was problematic and that there was evidence of the economy overheating. —

Holly Ellyatt,ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for citizen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for citizen

Noun

There are nearly 104,000 Ukrainian nationals eligible for the extension and 1,900 immigrants from Sudan who qualify to re-register for TPS.

Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
From October 2021 to September 2022, DHS officials encountered 2,176 Chinese nationals at the southwest border.

Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025