CITIZENS Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

citizens

noun

plural of citizen

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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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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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 The lawsuit is different from previous legal action against the president -- first, in that the plaintiffs are ordinary citizens, shifting the focus from news gatherers to news consumers, and thus implying a much larger pool of stakeholders. — Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026 Israel does not allow most citizens to vote absentee from abroad, so many were expected to fly in, including thousands living in the United States. — Lia Lapidot Aaron Boxerman and Lia Lapidot, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2026 The 7,500-square-foot facility will provide, among other things, primary, intermediate and dentistry care for citizens. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026 Both the students and the European Union mission in Serbia urged calm and appealed to citizens to be patient. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 One of the Mexican citizens has a lawful permanent resident card, while the other has a border crossing card. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 At their local town halls, citizens used the notebooks to record their anger and concerns about the state of France and the realities of their everyday lives. — Léo Keler, The Dial, 27 Oct. 2026 The citizens’ assembly recommends the state bear the full cost, which would involve far more than an income tax hike on high earners would generate. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 27 Oct. 2026 Despite its shortcomings – and its failure to prevent dispossession and repression – Israeli citizenship has still been taken particularly seriously by Palestinian citizens. — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for citizens

Noun

As many as 10 other Americans, including dual nationals, remain in Russian custody.

— Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Three other Haitian nationals living illegally in the United States — Wilbert Jean Baptiste, Louis Jean and Jhensly Charles — were also arrested, according to DHS.

— Michael Sinkewicz , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of nationals

Noun

Fischer and Wilson’s bawdy fable is predominately about how this flammable hunk makes the rest of the villagers burn up with jealousy.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
That’s what the Prophet Muhammad was doing in exhibiting restraint with the angry villagers.

— Casper ter Kuile, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of villagers

Noun

And so far, things seem to be operating smoothly — something local residents have grown to expect, given the high caliber of local elections officials and the careful oversight of political parties.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Cook County commissioners are looking to take a digital leap to help protect residents’ data from the grasp of immigration enforcement agents.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of residents

Noun

Rugged island Flores, located in the southeast of the Indonesian archipelago, is one of a handful of islands in the world’s most populous Muslim nation with a Christian majority, with 80% of its two million inhabitants identifying as Roman Catholic.

— Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 22 Oct. 2026
The Montaukett, the original inhabitants of the Hamptons, were stripped of their land and tribal rights a century ago.

— Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of inhabitants

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citizenry

citizens

city

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Style

“Citizens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/citizens. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of citizens

noun

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