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

See Examples For:

civil rights

Chirayu Rana accused former colleague Lorna Hajdini of violating his civil rights and named three other leveraged-finance bankers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Stern: Ordinary people standing up for what they know the Constitution guarantees: That turns out to be the origin story of pretty much every major civil rights movement in America.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

In 1942, when one of the leaders of the House Un-American Activities Committee baselessly accused the famous educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune of being a communist, Smith sprang into action.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

The prime minister's intervention followed mounting pressure from protesters and civil rights groups and a first round of talks with Nadda on Monday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Change in civil rights organizations, like change in society as a whole, will not come easy.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

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