civil rights

[ siv-uhl rahyts ]

/ ˈsɪv əl ˈraɪts /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: civil rights / civil right on Thesaurus.com

plural noun (often initial capital letters)

rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional acts, especially as applied to an individual or a minority group.

the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to African Americans.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of civil rights

First recorded in 1715–25

Words nearby civil rights

civilly, civil marriage, civil partnership, civil righter, civil rightist, civil rights, Civil Rights Act of 1964, civil rights movement, civils, civil servant, civil service

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

How to use civil rights in a sentence

The loss of her job propelled her to focus full-time on writing and expanding her newspaper, which led her to become a civil rights leader and more.
My great-grandmother Ida B. Wells left a legacy of activism in education. We need that now.|Michelle Duster|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
We tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a Civil War, by passing landmark civil rights legislation.
'Uncomfortable truth’: The new push for a slavery reparations commission in Congress|DeNeen L. Brown|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
Many advocacy groups and public health experts have begun to see internet access as a fundamental civil rights issue.
One big hiccup in US efforts to distribute COVID-19 vaccines? Poor internet access.|By Tamra Burns Loeb, Et Al./The Conversation|February 10, 2021|Popular-Science
The bill is supported by the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League, among others, which said it would hold platforms accountable for hosting hate speech, enabling civil rights abuse or enabling voter suppression ads.
Cheat sheet: U.S. lawmakers propose Section 230 reforms to regulate online paid speech|Kate Kaye|February 10, 2021|Digiday

Equal access to capital and entrepreneurship is the final civil rights movement
The rise of the activist developer|Walter Thompson|February 9, 2021|TechCrunch
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
But the real mystery and injustice came from Brooke being essentially written out of the history of the civil rights movement.
Ed Brooke: The Senate's Civil Rights Pioneer and Prophet of a Post-Racial America|John Avlon|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As long ago as the early 1970s, he had gone on to support most civil rights-related legislation.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Finally, we have a major film on civil rights in which African Americans are the heroes in their own story.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But he also reminded the younger members of the crowd of the civil rights movement of the last century.
Sharpton Recalls Civil Rights Struggle in DC March Against Police Violence|Ben Jacobs|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reading world is deluged with books relating to woman,—her education, her labor, and her civil rights.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall
You are, then, to base your demand for woman's civil rights upon her simple humanity,—the value of the soul itself.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall
There is, however, a surely growing sense of this, shown in the substantial advance of her civil rights.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall
I had that in mind when I spoke to the Governor and asked him to include in your pardon a restoration of civil rights.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
He gives us a detailed account of his sufferings in prison, his loss of civil rights, &c., in the third part of his History.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for civil rights

civil rights

pl n

the personal rights of the individual citizen, in most countries upheld by law, as in the US

(modifier) of, relating to, or promoting equality in social, economic, and political rights

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 rights

civil rights

A broad range of privileges and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and subsequent amendments and laws that guarantee fundamental freedoms to all individuals. These freedoms include the rights of free expression and action (civil liberties); the right to enter into contracts, own property, and initiate lawsuits; the rights of due process and equal protection of the laws; opportunities in education and work; the freedom to live, travel, and use public facilities wherever one chooses; and the right to participate in the democratic political system.

notes for civil rights

Efforts to redress the situation of inequality, such as the civil rights movement and the women's movement, have resulted in legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in affirmative action, and in the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

civil rights

Origin of civil rights

Words nearby civil rights

Words related to civil rights

How to use civil rights in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for civil rights

Cultural definitions for civil rights

notes for civil rights