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

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

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Can you sue him civilly for depriving you of your civil rights?

From Slate • May 4, 2026

Changing perceptions about aging is the biggest social movement of our lives, much in the same way other social movements have advanced the rights of women, civil rights and LGBTQ+, Clinton said.

From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026

In practice, this meant award-winning and essential books on the Holocaust, chattel slavery, civil rights, racism and feminism.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

But the riots have a common cause, as named by the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “A riot is the language of the unheard.”

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Related Words

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