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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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 Both homeowners and farmers can benefit from the work, and all citizens benefit from a stronger food system and water management program. — Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026 Dangelo Rafael Jean Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia Bautista, 24, both Dominican citizens, are accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 The unemployment rate for Saudi citizens hasn’t budged and the economy is creating new jobs, albeit at a slower pace. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026 As Toby Ziegler and Josiah Bartlett could tell you, the only way to change is the world is with a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026 Beijing has responded by curbing exports of critical minerals to Japanese companies and urged citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan. — Anniek Bao,lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026 The lawsuit was filed a year after Martinez was shot under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows private citizens to sue the federal government. — Daniella Silva, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026 Nearly 200 Russian citizens were placed under medical observation in eastern Siberia over the weekend following the illness and death of an anti-plague researcher at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026 Chinese authorities have tightened their grip on the media, the legal profession, and civil society, limiting the space for Chinese citizens to discuss mounting social woes and extinguishing emerging calls for deeper political reform. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for citizens
  1. nationals
  2. villagers
  3. residents
  4. inhabitants
Noun
  • In the eastern coastal city of Durban, where looting of shops owned by foreign nationals was reported by the state broadcaster, SABC, riot police were deployed to the city center.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Both men are Cuban nationals with lawful permanent residences in the United States, according to their complaints.
    — David Goodhue October 7, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of nationals
Noun
  • Sea turtles now nest on the secluded sandy beach that’s for all intents and purposes private, save for villagers occasionally visiting the small oceanfront temple for ceremonies.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The villagers were allowed to return home late Monday afternoon, though a cordon remained around the three vehicles, police said.
    — ALASTAIR GRANT, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of villagers
Noun
  • DeSantis also warned residents far outside the cone to watch for tornadoes, which can spawn before the core of Isaias moves ashore.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Older residents here repeat a mantra that the country has been through worse, notably when Iraq launched Scud missiles in 1991 during the first Gulf War.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of residents
Noun
  • More than 90 percent of Gaza’s inhabitants are internally displaced.
    — KHALED ELGINDY, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Well… The inhabitants of Étretat [where the series was partly filmed] hate us a little bit.
    — Baptiste Mandrillon, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of inhabitants

Browse Nearby Words

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 9 Oct. 2026.

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