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Populace vs Civilian - What's the difference?

populace | civilian |

As nouns the difference between populace and civilian

is that populace is the common people of a nation while civilian is a person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.

As an adjective civilian is

that which is not related to the military, police or other uniformed profession.

populace

English

Noun

  • The common people of a nation.
  • * The populace despised their ignorant leader.
  • * {{quote-book, year=2006, author=
  • , title=Internal Combustion , chapter=2 citation , passage=Throughout the 1500s, the populace roiled over a constellation of grievances of which the forest emerged as a key focal point. The popular late Middle Ages fictional character Robin Hood, dressed in green to symbolize the forest, dodged fines for forest offenses and stole from the rich to give to the poor. But his appeal was painfully real and embodied the struggle over wood.}}
  • The inhabitants of a nation.
  • Usage notes

    * Do not confuse populace' (a noun) with ' populous (an adjective).

    Synonyms

    * (common people of a nation) common people, hoi polloi, masses, people, rabble, riff-raff * (inhabitants of a nation) inhabitants, population

    civilian

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.
  • (label) A person who does not belong to a particular group or engage in a particular activity.
  • One skilled in civil law.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • A student of civil law at a university or college.
  • Adjective

    (-)
  • That which is not related to the military, police or other uniformed profession