civil
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or consisting of citizens.
civil life; civil society.
-
of the commonwealth or state.
civil affairs.
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of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs.
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of the citizen as an individual.
civil liberty.
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befitting a citizen.
a civil duty.
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of, or in a condition of, social order or organized government; civilized.
civil peoples.
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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
-
marked by benevolence.
He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately.
- Synonyms:
- courtly, urbane, affable, suave, complaisant, gracious, deferential, respectful
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(of divisions of time) legally recognized in the ordinary affairs of life.
the civil year.
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of or relating to civil law.
adjective
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of the ordinary life of citizens as distinguished from military, legal, or ecclesiastical affairs
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of or relating to the citizen as an individual
civil rights
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of or occurring within the state or between citizens
civil strife
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polite or courteous
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a less common word for civic
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of or in accordance with Roman law
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relating to the private rights of citizens
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of civil
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cīvīlis, equivalent to cīv ( is ) citizen + -īlis -il
Explanation
Civil has several meanings. The simplest is cultured and polite, as in someone who is civilized. Civil can also describe things related to a community of people and their government, or a civilization. If you work for the post office, you're a civil servant. The Civil Rights movement focused on the notion that all American citizens were entitled to the same basic personal rights and freedoms. Civil wars are named in reference to the fact that conflict occurs between citizens of the same country, and civil law is similarly limited to non-criminal issues that community members have with each other. The Latin root, civilis, means both "relating to a citizen" and "courteous."
Vocabulary lists containing civil
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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"Of Mice and Men"
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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.
When Diana Tupiza and Andres Alquinga decided to get married, they selected a rather unusual witness for the civil wedding ceremony: Luna, their Pekingese pup who stamped her paw print on the marriage certificate.
From Barron's • Jul. 12, 2026
A former civil servant and think tank boss, Fahnbulleh has been feeding policy ideas into Burnham's preparations for power.
From BBC • Jul. 12, 2026
How did an organisation with government offices, civil servants and a line in Nigeria's national budget turn out to have no legal basis for existing?
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2026
The civil suit filed in the Northern District of California accuses OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, Tang Tan, and Chang Liu, a member of its technical staff, of taking Apple’s confidential information through various methods.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
This was the first major civil rights victory won through widespread public protests.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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.
