civil

[ siv-uhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of citizens:

   civil life; civil society.

2. of the commonwealth or state:

   civil affairs.

3. of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs.
4. of the citizen as an individual:

   civil liberty.

5. befitting a citizen:

   a civil duty.

6. of, or in a condition of, social order or organized government; civilized: civilized:

   civil peoples.

7. 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

   Antonyms: churlish, boorish

8. marked by benevolence:

   He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately.

   Synonyms: courtly, urbane, affable, suave, complaisant, gracious, deferential, respectful

   Antonyms: churlish, boorish

9. (of divisions of time) legally recognized in the ordinary affairs of life:

   the civil year.

10. of or relating to civil law.

civil

/ ˈsɪvəl /

adjective

1. of the ordinary life of citizens as distinguished from military, legal, or ecclesiastical affairs
2. of or relating to the citizen as an individual

   civil rights

3. of or occurring within the state or between citizens

   civil strife

4. polite or courteous
5. See civic
   a less common word for civic
6. of or in accordance with Roman law
7. relating to the private rights of citizens

Derived Forms

• ˈcivilness, noun
• ˈcivilly, adverb

Other Words From

• civil·ness noun
• anti·civil adjective
• half-civil adjective
• half-civil·ly adverb
• over·civil adjective
• over·civil·ly adverb
• quasi-civil adjective
• quasi-civil·ly adverb
• super·civil adjective
• super·civil·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cīvīlis, equivalent to cīv ( is ) citizen + -īlis -il

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin cīvīlis, from cīvis citizen

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Malcolm was incarcerated for several years and went on to mobilize thousands on issues of both civil and human rights.

From Essence.com

To create lasting community change, meaningful reforms should also be a component of civil settlements.

From Vox

I would say that with civil disturbance type operations, we’re reluctant because there are many things that can go wrong.

From ProPublica

I've had long conversations with the civil rights community here to say that I recognize that he would have been a great assistant attorney general for civil rights.

From Washington Post

The city and the district attorney listed multiple “Does” on each injunction upon the initial filing, so that law enforcement could add people in the future without having to file another civil injunction.

From Voice of San Diego

They are, to say the least, preparing for civil war (the polling stations are stormed by armed gangs).

From The Daily Beast

But what is there more irresponsible than playing with the fire of an imagined civil war in the France of today?

From The Daily Beast

Compared with neighbors Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos, Cambodia appears to have a blossoming civil society.

From The Daily Beast

Strangio is at his best when exposing what appears to be a flourishing civil society in Cambodia.

From The Daily Beast

Rashad was there to celebrate the release of the Civil Rights drama Selma.

From The Daily Beast

His 6,000 native auxiliaries (as it proved later on) could not be relied upon in a civil war.

From Project Gutenberg

A lineman was sent out to repair it under escort of civil guards, who were forced by the rebels to retire.

From Project Gutenberg

In the good old days of yore there was little trouble in obtaining admission to the Civil Service.

From Project Gutenberg

He held various civil offices, was a justice of the peace about 60 years, and for many years a member of the state legislature.

From Project Gutenberg

Alessandro had hard work to give civil answers to the men who wished to buy Benito and the wagon for quarter of their value.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• civilized
• cordial
• courteous
• diplomatic
• formal
• polite