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: 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
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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
Related Words
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
- anticivil adjective
- civilly adverb
- civilness noun
- half-civil adjective
- half-civilly adverb
- overcivil adjective
- overcivilly adverb
- quasi-civil adjective
- quasi-civilly adverb
- supercivil adjective
- supercivilly adverb
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.
Of the 183 housing and civil enforcement Justice Department settlements since 2018, only 6% did not include money for victims.
From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026
Speaking at a convention hosted by civil rights leader Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the 61-year-old stopped short of a formal declaration but left little doubt she is weighing a third campaign.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Tribal governments supported these challenges while advancing expansive theories of McGirt, pressing into civil jurisdiction and taxation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
And based on her remarks, it’s not difficult to guess with which justice she might not have a civil relationship: Brett Kavanaugh.
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026
America ended legal slavery more than 150 years ago, after four years of a catastrophic civil war that took the lives of as many as 750,000 Americans, according to new estimates.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
