civil disobedience

[ siv-uhl dis-uh-bee-dee-uhns ]

/ ˈsɪv əl ˌdɪs əˈbi di əns /

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See synonyms for civil disobedience on Thesaurus.com

noun

the refusal to obey certain laws or governmental demands for the purpose of influencing legislation or government policy, characterized by the employment of such nonviolent techniques as boycotting, picketing, and nonpayment of taxes.Compare noncooperation (def. 2), passive resistance.

(initial capital letters, italics) an essay (1848) by Thoreau.

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Origin of civil disobedience

First recorded in 1865–70

Words nearby civil disobedience

civil court, civil day, civil death, civil defence, civil defense, civil disobedience, civil engineer, civil engineering, civilian, civilian clothes, Civilian Conservation Corps

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use civil disobedience in a sentence

The stalemate has elicited protests, civil disobedience and arrests on Capitol Hill and beyond.
Michelle Obama and Celebrities Sign Open Letter to Push For Voting Rights|Malaika Jabali|August 26, 2021|Essence.com
I am not for one second suggesting that my swim was some grand act of civil disobedience.
Open-Water Swimming and Other Acts of Civil Disobedience|jversteegh|August 25, 2021|Outside Online
They say they are ready for civil disobedience and will not change any of their programs to comply with the law, which bans the depiction of homosexuality to minors.
Anti-LGBTQ Hungary law takes effect|Michael K. Lavers|July 8, 2021|Washington Blade
The groups said they are prepared to engage in civil disobedience to challenge the law.
Anti-LGBTQ Hungary law takes effect|Michael K. Lavers|July 8, 2021|Washington Blade

As I just mentioned, because this uprising is leaderless the civil disobedience movement will continue until this attempted coup ends.
'The Military Is Terrorizing Us Day and Night.' The Human Rights Activist Documenting Horror in Myanmar|Amy Gunia|March 18, 2021|Time
They are, to say the least, preparing for civil war (the polling stations are stormed by armed gangs).
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But what is there more irresponsible than playing with the fire of an imagined civil war in the France of today?
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Compared with neighbors Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos, Cambodia appears to have a blossoming civil society.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Strangio is at his best when exposing what appears to be a flourishing civil society in Cambodia.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Rashad was there to celebrate the release of the Civil Rights drama Selma.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His 6,000 native auxiliaries (as it proved later on) could not be relied upon in a civil war.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He stared at his men, astonished and impatient at this strange disobedience.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
A lineman was sent out to repair it under escort of civil guards, who were forced by the rebels to retire.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
In the good old days of yore there was little trouble in obtaining admission to the Civil Service.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
He held various civil offices, was a justice of the peace about 60 years, and for many years a member of the state legislature.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for civil disobedience

civil disobedience

noun

a refusal to obey laws, pay taxes, etc: a nonviolent means of protesting or of attempting to achieve political goals

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for civil disobedience (1 of 2)

civil disobedience

The refusal to obey a law out of a belief that the law is morally wrong.

notes for civil disobedience

In the nineteenth century, the American author Henry David Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience,” an important essay justifying such action.

notes for civil disobedience

In the twentieth century, civil disobedience was exercised by Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for independence in India. Civil disobedience, sometimes called nonviolent resistance or passive resistance, was also practiced by some members of the civil rights movement in the United States, notably Martin Luther King, Jr., to challenge segregation of public facilities; a common tactic of these civil rights supporters was the sit-in. King defended the use of civil disobedience in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

Cultural definitions for civil disobedience (2 of 2)

“Civil Disobedience”

(1849) An essay by Henry David Thoreau. It contains his famous statement “That government is best which governs least,” and asserts that people's obligations to their own conscience take precedence over their obligations to their government. Thoreau also argues that if, in following their conscience, people find it necessary to break the laws of the state, they should be prepared to pay penalties, including imprisonment.

notes for “Civil Disobedience”

Thoreau himself went to jail for refusing to pay a tax to support the Mexican War.

civil disobedience

Origin of civil disobedience

Words nearby civil disobedience

Words related to civil disobedience

How to use civil disobedience in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for civil disobedience

Cultural definitions for civil disobedience (1 of 2)

notes for civil disobedience

notes for civil disobedience

Cultural definitions for civil disobedience (2 of 2)

notes for “Civil Disobedience”