civil

[ siv-uhl ]

/ ˈsɪv əl /

adjective

of, relating to, or consisting of citizens: civil life; civil society.

of the commonwealth or state: civil affairs.

of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs.

of the citizen as an individual: civil liberty.

befitting a citizen: a civil duty.

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

adhering to the norms of polite social intercourse; not deficient in common courtesy: After their disagreement, their relations were civil though not cordial.

marked by benevolence: He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately.

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

of or relating to civil law.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THIS MIDDLE SCHOOL PART OF SPEECH QUIZ!

How well do you know your adjectives from your adverbs? Your preposition from your pronouns? Your interjections from your conjunctions? Let’s put your knowledge of parts of speech to the text! Note: Many of the following questions will ask you to identify the parts of speech “in order.” That means the first word in all capital letters will correspond to the first option in an answer, and so on.

Question 1 of 10

In order, what parts of speech are the words in all capital letters? Alisa was VERY tired, SO she decided to go to bed.

adverb, adverb

adverb, conjunction

adjective, conjunction

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of civil

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

SYNONYMS FOR civil

7, 8 respectful, deferential, gracious, complaisant, suave, affable, urbane, courtly.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR civil ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR civil

7, 8 boorish, churlish.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR civil ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for civil

7, 8. 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 WORDS FROM civil

civ·il·ness, nounan·ti·civ·il, adjectivehalf-civ·il, adjectivehalf-civ·il·ly, adverb

o·ver·civ·il, adjectiveo·ver·civ·il·ly, adverbqua·si-civ·il, adjectivequa·si-civ·il·ly, adverbsu·per·civ·il, adjectivesu·per·civ·il·ly, adverb

Words nearby civil

civic centre, civic university, civic-minded, civics, civies, civil, civil aeronautics board, civil air patrol, civil court, civil day, civil death

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for civil

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
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
An attack on journalists anywhere is an attack on civil society everywhere.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The scheme has been condemned by civil liberties groups and queried by the National Association of Head Teachers.
Britain May Spy on Preschoolers Searching for Potential Jihadis|Nico Hines|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

On Friday, the story had looked like it might blow over as Buckingham Palace sought to dismiss it as a “civil case.”
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lincoln was especially fond of a joke at the expense of some high military or civil dignitary.
The Every-day Life of Abraham Lincoln|Francis Fisher Browne
During the Civil War, Exeter was twice besieged, but on neither occasion so rigorously as in 1549.
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts|Rosalind Northcote
Qualified as a civil engineer in Montreal, and practised his profession for some years.
The Makers of Canada: Index and Dictionary of Canadian History|Various
"Having paid the last arrears on the Civil List, I must now do the same for you," he wrote.
Farmer George, Volume 2|Lewis Melville
The furniture of the convents was transferred to the civil and military hospitals.
Joseph Bonaparte|John S. C. Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for civil

civil

/ (ˈsɪvəl) /

adjective

of the ordinary life of citizens as distinguished from military, legal, or ecclesiastical affairs

of or relating to the citizen as an individualcivil rights

of or occurring within the state or between citizenscivil strife

polite or courteous

a less common word for civic

of or in accordance with Roman law

relating to the private rights of citizens

Derived forms of civil

civilly, adverbcivilness, noun

Word Origin for civil

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

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

civil

adjective

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THIS MIDDLE SCHOOL PART OF SPEECH QUIZ!

Origin of civil

SYNONYMS FOR civil

ANTONYMS FOR civil

synonym study for civil

OTHER WORDS FROM civil

Words nearby civil

Words related to civil

Example sentences from the Web for civil

British Dictionary definitions for civil

adjective

Derived forms of civil

Word Origin for civil