civil

adjective

civ·​il ˈsi-vəl How to pronounce civil (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to citizens
civil duties
b
: of or relating to the state or its citizenry
civil strife
2
a
: civilized
civil society
b
: adequate in courtesy and politeness : mannerly
a civil question
It was hard to be civil when I felt so angry.
3
a
: of, relating to, or based on civil law
b
: relating to private rights and to remedies sought by action or suit distinct from criminal proceedings
c
: established by law
civil freedoms
4
: of, relating to, or involving the general public, their activities, needs, or ways, or civic affairs as distinguished from special (such as military or religious) affairs
got married in a civil ceremony
5
of time : based on the theoretical mean sun and legally recognized for use in ordinary affairs
the civil calendar
Esoteric and sometimes outlandish balloons were floated: If we're not going to worry about civil time matching solar time, for instance, why not simplify global timekeeping even more by reducing the number of global time zones from twenty-four to five?Michelle Stacey

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called a 'civil war'?

The sense of civil found in civil war is not the one meaning "mannerly," or the one meaning "civilized." It is the word’s earliest sense in English, “of or relating to citizens,” as a civil war refers to one between citizens of the same country.

What is civil disobedience?

We define civil disobedience as "refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government." Some notable examples of civil disobedience are the cases of Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin, black women who refused to give up their seats on public buses, when white passengers—and a city ordinance—demanded that they do so.

What is civil service?

A country's civil service is the part of the government that takes care of the government's basic business. It is the administrative part of the government, and independent of the military, and the occupations of its members are neither political nor judicial. In most countries, the term civil service refers to employees selected and promoted on the basis of a merit and seniority system, which may include examinations.

Choose the Right Synonym for civil

civil, polite, courteous, gallant, chivalrous mean observant of the forms required by good breeding.

civil often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness.

owed the questioner a civil reply

polite commonly implies polish of speech and manners and sometimes suggests an absence of cordiality.

if you can't be pleasant, at least be polite

courteous implies more actively considerate or dignified politeness.

clerks who were unfailingly courteous to customers

gallant and chivalrous imply courteous attentiveness especially to women.

gallant suggests spirited and dashing behavior and ornate expressions of courtesy.

a gallant suitor of the old school

chivalrous suggests high-minded and self-sacrificing behavior.

a chivalrous display of duty

Examples of civil in a Sentence

They got married in a civil ceremony at city hall. It was hard to be civil when I felt so angry. She was barely civil to me.
Recent Examples on the Web The Married to the Mob streetwear founder has also since shared a lengthy statement about her decision to file a civil suit. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 During his career, he was named the top employee during his third year with the office and received glowing reviews from his coworkers, said Jack Foster, director of the court’s civil process servers in a press conference after his death. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 In the United States, he was found liable in civil court for the rape of his former collaborator Haleigh Breest. Valeria Verbaro, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Supreme Court precedent treats a sitting president as immune from civil suits for conduct performed within the scope of his duties while in office. Noah Feldman, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 That environment created a kind of numbness that not even 91 felony counts or enormous civil penalties for defamation and fraud can break through, said Andrew Franks, a professor of political psychology at the University of Washington. Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Companies with 15 or more employees could face civil lawsuits over such practices. Curt Anderson, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Today’s iteration of the building showcases carefully restored civil style architecture from the 18th century. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The former president faces more than a half-a-billion dollars in civil judgements against him in the past month alone. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin civilis, from civis — see civic

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of civil was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near civil

Cite this Entry

“Civil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

civil

adjective
civ·​il ˈsiv-əl How to pronounce civil (audio)
1
: of or relating to citizens
civil liberties
2
: of or relating to the state
civil institutions
3
: of or relating to ordinary or government affairs rather than to those of the military or the church
4
: polite without being friendly
gave a civil answer
5
: relating to court action between individuals having to do with private rights rather than criminal action
a civil suit
Etymology

Middle English civil "relating to a citizen," from early French civil (same meaning), from Latin civilis "relating to a citizen," from civis "citizen" — related to citizen, city

Legal Definition

civil

adjective
civ·​il ˈsi-vəl How to pronounce civil (audio)
1
: concerning, befitting, or applying to individual citizens or to citizens as a whole
a civil duty
see also civil right
2
: marked by public order : peaceable in behavior
3
: of or relating to a legal system based on Roman law as opposed to the English common law
4
: relating to private rights and to judicial proceedings in connection with them
especially : relating to legal matters other than those characterized as criminal
a civil action
a civil infraction
5
: defined by law : legal
a civil disability
6
: of, relating to, or involving the general public, their activities, needs, ways, or civic affairs as distinguished from special (as military or religious) affairs
the civil authorities
the civil service
civilly adverb
Etymology

Latin civilis, from civis citizen

More from Merriam-Webster on civil

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