civil liberty
Americannoun
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the freedom of a citizen to exercise customary rights, as of speech or assembly, without unwarranted or arbitrary interference by the government.
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such a right as guaranteed by the laws of a country, as in the U.S. by the Bill of Rights.
noun
Etymology
Origin of civil liberty
First recorded in 1635–45
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.
But civil liberty groups are worried that its accuracy is yet to be fully established, and point to cases such as Shaun Thompson's.
From BBC • May 25, 2024
"Public safety is not compromised. Humanitarian-wise, it's a civil liberty issue."
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2022
The case was closely watched at the state and federal level by civil liberty advocates.
From Washington Post • Feb. 17, 2022
“The civil liberty argument has ebbed and flowed,” said Adam Wagner, a London-based human rights lawyer and expert on Covid-related laws.
From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2021
Here the popular patriot exclaimed, “Was the great revolution of civil liberty made only for the prince’s safety?”
From Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Disraeli, Isaac
Definitions 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.
