civil rights

American  

[siv-uhl rahyts] / ˈsɪv əl ˈraɪts /

plural noun

(often initial capital letters)

1. rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional acts, especially as applied to an individual or a minority group.

2. the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to African Americans.

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civil rights British  

plural noun

1. the personal rights of the individual citizen, in most countries upheld by law, as in the US

2. (modifier) of, relating to, or promoting equality in social, economic, and political rights

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civil rights Cultural  

1. A broad range of privileges and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and subsequent amendments and laws that guarantee fundamental freedoms to all individuals. These freedoms include the rights of free expression and action (civil liberties); the right to enter into contracts, own property, and initiate lawsuits; the rights of due process and equal protection of the laws; opportunities in education and work; the freedom to live, travel, and use public facilities wherever one chooses; and the right to participate in the democratic political system.

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Efforts to redress the situation of inequality, such as the civil rights movement and the women's movement, have resulted in legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in affirmative action, and in the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Etymology

Origin of civil rights

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

And they question the use of blue paint at an iconic landmark, perhaps most famous as the setting for civil rights leader Martin Luther King's 1963 "I have a dream" speech.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

British music star FKA twigs is to play Josephine Baker in a new biopic of the Roaring Twenties icon who became a hero of the French Resistance and the American civil rights movement.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

“Whether my client’s civil rights were violated will be determined in a court of law.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, the department’s top civil rights lawyer, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

No matter how much that had hurt Hanako, in Tule Lake she had become incredibly proud of her father for standing his ground and asking for their civil rights back before he would serve.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

• freedom
• freedom of religion
• freedom of speech
• human rights