incivility

American  

[in-suh-vil-i-tee] / ˌɪn səˈvɪl ɪ ti /

noun

• incivilities
  plural

1. the quality or condition of being uncivil; discourteous behavior or treatment.

   Synonyms:

   uncouthness, boorishness, rudeness

2. an uncivil act.

   Synonyms:

   discourtesy

---

incivility British  

/ ɪnsɪˈvɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. lack of civility or courtesy; rudeness

2. an impolite or uncivil act or remark

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• incivil
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incivilities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of incivility

From the Late Latin word incīvīlitās, dating back to 1575–85. See in- ³, civility

Explanation

Incivility is rudeness or disrespect. A child will probably be scolded for his incivility if he sits with his elbows planted on the dinner table, talking loudly with his mouth full of food. If you insult your friends, push in front of people standing in line for a movie, or in other ways demonstrate bad manners, your incivility is obvious. Etiquette is all about eliminating incivility, teaching people the best way to behave. This noun dates from the 16th century, first meaning "want of civilized behavior," from a Latin root: incivilis, "not civil," with the root civilis, "befitting a citizen."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incivility incivilities

Newly appointed "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton said Pelley "hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt."

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

“Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

This weekend’s incivility could be a sign that golf is losing its traditional decorum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2025

Cofidis said a police investigation was under way and that they "strongly condemn this act of incivility," while also calling on the "perpetrators to act with civility and responsibility".

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2025

That’s entitlement: his mother permits that casual incivility because she wants him to learn to assert himself with people in positions of authority.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

We are starting to realize that the bystander effect — seeing something but saying nothing when we witness incivilities or worse — is as dangerous as the attacks themselves.

From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2022

Her poem is double-distilled, and composed as if from ice shavings and incivilities.

From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2020

Inhabitants of big U.S. cities are also assaulted by what Fred DuBow, a visiting scholar at the American Bar Foundation, calls "incivilities."

From Time Magazine Archive

As assafœtida is used for haut gout, so does one season the finest savoir vivre by sundry bold incivilities.

From Hesperus or Forty-Five Dog-Post-Days Vol. I. A Biography by Jean Paul

I.—Natural and Civil Rights Among the incivilities by which nations or individuals provoke or irritate each other, Mr. Burke's pamphlet in the French revolution is an extraordinary instance.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Sir John Alexander Hammerton