civic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a city; municipal.
civic problems.
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of or relating to citizenship; civil.
civic duties.
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of citizens.
civic pride.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of civic
1535–45; < Latin cīvicus, equivalent to cīv ( is ) citizen + -icus -ic
Explanation
If something is related to or benefits an individual citizen, it can be described as civic. People often say that it is your civic duty to vote. The adjective civic comes from the Latin word civis, which was the word for a citizen of Ancient Rome. It is also a root word for "city," so civic can also mean anything related to a city. In your town, civic leaders meet frequently and public input is always welcome. So if you have a grievance about a civic issue, you should attend a meeting — or drop by the diner where the mayor always eats breakfast.
Vocabulary lists containing civic
A Long Walk to Water
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Back-Words: Palindromes
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We the People: Civ
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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.
Lauded by civic groups, the good-government reforms were championed by then-Gov.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Mark Joseph Stern: This idea of republican virtue, lowercase r, civic virtue, the Framers were obsessed with it.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
But in earlier decades Minnesota was an American success story with world-class companies, high civic trust, a remarkable education tradition and a broad middle class.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Such discussions helped establish the difference between witnessing as a matter of civic responsibility and leering voyeurism.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Every business, professional and civic leader is also a leader in politics.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
