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Meaning & use

citizenship

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈsɪtɪzənʃɪp/
US/ˈsɪtɪzənʃɪp/

Meanings

  1. noununcountablelegal

    The legal status of belonging to a particular country, with the rights and duties that status brings.

    Grammar: Not used with a: she applied for citizenship.

    Patterns

    • citizenship of a country
    • apply for citizenship
    • dual citizenship

    She applied for citizenship after living in Canada for five years.

    He holds dual citizenship in Spain and Argentina.

    The test for citizenship includes questions about history.

  2. noununcountable

    The way a person behaves as a member of a community, especially in respecting its rules and helping others.

    Grammar: Often with an adjective: good citizenship, global citizenship.

    Patterns

    • good citizenship
    • active citizenship

    The school gave her an award for good citizenship.

    Voting and volunteering are signs of active citizenship.

    Teachers talk about digital citizenship in online safety lessons.

  3. noununcountableBritish

    A school subject that teaches how a country is governed and how people take part in society.

    Grammar: Used as a subject name: citizenship class.

    Patterns

    • a citizenship lesson

    Our citizenship lesson was about how laws are made.

    He chose citizenship as an elective.

Common combinations

apply for citizenship
They plan to apply for citizenship next year.
grant citizenship
The government granted citizenship to the refugees.
dual citizenship
Dual citizenship lets her hold two passports.
good citizenship
Picking up litter is an act of good citizenship.
citizenship test
He passed his citizenship test last month.

Synonyms and how they differ

nationality
Nationality refers to the country someone belongs to, while citizenship stresses legal rights and duties.
residency
Residency lets someone live in a country, but it gives fewer rights than citizenship.
membership
Membership is general and can apply to any group, whereas citizenship is tied to a nation or community.

Opposites

statelessness

Word family

citizen noun
a person who belongs to a country
citizenry noun
all the citizens of a place
noncitizen noun
a person who is not a citizen
city noun
the root idea, a large town

Commonly confused: citizenship or residency?

citizenship vs residency

Residency is permission to live in a place, but citizenship gives full rights, including voting.

Practice

After living in the country for ten years, Priya applied for ___ so that she could vote.

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