civil

[ siv-uhl ]

/ ˈsɪv əl /

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR civil

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

See synonyms for civil on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR civil

7, 8 boorish, churlish.

See antonyms for civil on Thesaurus.com

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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.

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Origin of civil

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

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-civil, adjectivehalf-civ·il·ly, adverb

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

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

How to use civil in a sentence

And even the Finn fisher has occasionally some rudiments of civilness and hospitality.
Through Arctic Lapland|Cutcliffe Hyne

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

OTHER WORDS FOR civil

OPPOSITES FOR civil

Origin of civil

synonym study for civil

OTHER WORDS FROM civil

Words related to civil

How to use civil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for civil

Derived forms of civil

Word Origin for civil