non-combatant

Not a fighter

A non-combatant is a person not engaged in fighting during a war or armed conflict.

The term covers civilians, medical personnel, chaplains, and prisoners of war—those protected under international law from being targeted.

Military members in support roles may also be classified as non-combatants: The Geneva Conventions protect non-combatants from deliberate attack.

civilian

citizen

Legal national member

population · innocent · protected · unarmed · townsfolk · villager · urbanite · layperson · bystander · family

conscientious

objector

One who formally disagrees

nonviolence · principle · conscience · Quaker · Mennonite · antimilitarist · peaceful · refusal

journalist

reporter

One who gathers news

press · media · embedded · documentation · witness · observer · coverage · freelancer · bureau

refugee

displaced

Shifted from proper location

  • evacueeOne moved from danger
  • fleeDepart swiftly from threat
  • shelterProtected place or structure

stateless · camp · persecution · sanctuary · survivor · war-torn · dispossessed · exile · migrant · homeless

medical

medic

Emergency care provider

  • nurseHealthcare provider, bedside
  • doctorLicensed medical healer
  • surgeonPhysician who operates

corpsman · stretcher-bearer · ambulance · triage · wounded · paramedic · chaplain · orderly · neutrality

Categories
Opposites
military role and participation in armed conflict

non-combatantcombatant

One who fights

soldier · fighter · warrior · belligerent · military personnel

disposition toward violence and aggression

non-combatantcombatant

One who fights

fighter · aggressor · attacker · assailant · belligerent

Family

noncombatant, noncombatants

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated PG