civil

[siv-uhl]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of citizens.

   civil life; civil society.

2. of the commonwealth or state.

   civil affairs.

3. of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs.

4. of the citizen as an individual.

   civil liberty.

5. befitting a citizen.

   a civil duty.

6. of, or in a condition of, social order or organized government; civilized: civilized.

   civil peoples.

7. 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
   Antonyms: churlish, boorish

8. marked by benevolence.

   He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately.

   Synonyms: courtly, urbane, affable, suave, complaisant, gracious, deferential, respectful
   Antonyms: churlish, boorish

9. (of divisions of time) legally recognized in the ordinary affairs of life.

   the civil year.

10. of or relating to civil law.

civil

/ ˈsɪvəl /

adjective

1. of the ordinary life of citizens as distinguished from military, legal, or ecclesiastical affairs

2. of or relating to the citizen as an individual

   civil rights

3. of or occurring within the state or between citizens

   civil strife

4. polite or courteous

5. a less common word for civic

6. of or in accordance with Roman law

7. relating to the private rights of citizens

Other Word Forms

• civilness noun
• anticivil adjective
• half-civil adjective
• half-civilly adverb
• overcivil adjective
• overcivilly adverb
• quasi-civil adjective
• quasi-civilly adverb
• supercivil adjective
• supercivilly adverb
• civilly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cīvīlis, equivalent to cīv ( is ) citizen + -īlis -il

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin cīvīlis, from cīvis citizen

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Following her first stint as an elected representative, she continued to crusade for various causes, including civil liberties and better social-welfare programs for women and children.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures."

Read more on BBC

"This manoeuvre aims to prevent the publication of the electoral results scheduled for tomorrow, November 27," the civil society coalition Popular Front said in a statement on Wednesday.

Read more on BBC

Still, the ClientEarth pressure group called the report a "vital reminder that the commission is not above the law" and that "civil society must not be sidelined."

Read more on Barron's

He however noted that some US businesses and civil society entities were present.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• civilized 
• cordial 
• courteous 
• diplomatic 
• formal 
• polite