civil
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or consisting of citizens.
civil life; civil society.
-
of the commonwealth or state.
civil affairs.
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of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs.
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of the citizen as an individual.
civil liberty.
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befitting a citizen.
a civil duty.
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of, or in a condition of, social order or organized government; civilized.
civil peoples.
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adhering to the norms of polite social intercourse; not deficient in common courtesy.
After their disagreement, their relations were civil though not cordial.
- Synonyms:
- courtly, urbane, affable, suave, complaisant, gracious, deferential, respectful
-
marked by benevolence.
He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately.
- Synonyms:
- courtly, urbane, affable, suave, complaisant, gracious, deferential, respectful
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(of divisions of time) legally recognized in the ordinary affairs of life.
the civil year.
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of or relating to civil law.
adjective
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of the ordinary life of citizens as distinguished from military, legal, or ecclesiastical affairs
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of or relating to the citizen as an individual
civil rights
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of or occurring within the state or between citizens
civil strife
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polite or courteous
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a less common word for civic
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of or in accordance with Roman law
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relating to the private rights of citizens
Synonym Usage
Civil, affable, courteous, polite all imply avoidance of rudeness toward others. Civil suggests a minimum of observance of social requirements. Affable suggests ease of approach and friendliness. Courteous implies positive, dignified, sincere, and thoughtful consideration for others. Polite implies habitual courtesy, arising from a consciousness of one's training and the demands of good manners.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of civil
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cīvīlis, equivalent to cīv ( is ) citizen + -īlis -il
Explanation
Civil has several meanings. The simplest is cultured and polite, as in someone who is civilized. Civil can also describe things related to a community of people and their government, or a civilization. If you work for the post office, you're a civil servant. The Civil Rights movement focused on the notion that all American citizens were entitled to the same basic personal rights and freedoms. Civil wars are named in reference to the fact that conflict occurs between citizens of the same country, and civil law is similarly limited to non-criminal issues that community members have with each other. The Latin root, civilis, means both "relating to a citizen" and "courteous."
Vocabulary lists containing civil
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a civil case such as this, the legal convention is that the losing party must reimburse "reasonable" legal fees incurred by the other side.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The legal action follows successful lawsuits brought against the tech giants by California and others that have resulted in massive civil settlements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Most of these so-called lower-court appointees diligently work to keep criminal and civil cases moving through the system, rather than deciding blockbuster cases.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill replaces the previous Conservative government's contentious 2023 Legacy Act, which introduced a ban on inquests and civil actions related to Troubles-era incidents.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
“It’s different from the civil case. You’ll still have to answer for Middlefield Prep’s delinquency charges.”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
