citizen

/ˈsɪɾɪzɪn/

/ˈsɪtɪsən/

Other forms: citizens

It's pretty hard to be on this planet and not be recognized as a citizen of somewhere. You can be a citizen of a city, a country, or the world. Citizen can mean "an inhabitant of a particular place."

To be recognized as an official citizen of a town, city, or country, one typically has to meet certain requirements. In return, one gets certain rights, such as the right to vote. In other uses, a citizen may just be someone who lives in a place, such as a "citizen of the world." That's a nice thing to be, but it's not going to get you social security payments when you retire.

Definitions of citizen

1. noun

   a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
   antonyms:

   noncitizen

   a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country

   types:

   active citizen

   a citizen who takes an active role in the community (as in crime prevention and neighborhood watch)

   civilian

   a nonmilitary citizen

   freeman, freewoman

   a person who is not a serf or a slave

   private citizen

   a citizen who does not hold any official or public position

   repatriate

   a person who has returned to the country of origin or whose citizenship has been restored

   thane

   a man ranking above an ordinary freeman and below a noble in Anglo-Saxon England (especially one who gave military service in exchange for land)

   elector, voter

   a citizen who has a legal right to vote

   constituent

   a member of a constituency; a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes

   crossover, crossover voter

   a voter who is registered as a member of one political party but who votes in the primary of another party

   floater

   a voter who votes illegally at different polling places in the same election

   freedman, freedwoman

   a person who has been freed from slavery

   floating voter, swing voter

   a voter who has no allegiance to any political party and whose unpredictable decisions can swing the outcome of an election one way or the other

   type of:

   national, subject

   a person who owes allegiance to that nation