civil

[ siv-uhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of citizens:

   civil life; civil society.

2. of the commonwealth or state:

   civil affairs.

3. of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs.
4. of the citizen as an individual:

   civil liberty.

5. befitting a citizen:

   a civil duty.

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

   civil peoples.

7. adhering to the norms of polite social intercourse; not deficient in common courtesy:

   After their disagreement, their relations were civil though not cordial.

   Synonyms: courtly, urbane, affable, suave, complaisant, gracious, deferential, respectful

   Antonyms: churlish, boorish

8. marked by benevolence:

   He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately.

   Synonyms: courtly, urbane, affable, suave, complaisant, gracious, deferential, respectful

   Antonyms: churlish, boorish

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

   the civil year.

10. of or relating to civil law.

civil

/ ˈsɪvəl /

adjective

1. of the ordinary life of citizens as distinguished from military, legal, or ecclesiastical affairs
2. of or relating to the citizen as an individual

   civil rights

3. of or occurring within the state or between citizens

   civil strife

4. polite or courteous
5. a less common word for civic
6. of or in accordance with Roman law
7. relating to the private rights of citizens

Derived Forms

• ˈcivilness, noun
• ˈcivilly, adverb

Other Words From

• civil·ness noun
• anti·civil adjective
• half-civil adjective
• half-civil·ly adverb
• over·civil adjective
• over·civil·ly adverb
• quasi-civil adjective
• quasi-civil·ly adverb
• super·civil adjective
• super·civil·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of civil¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The review examined "exception" appointments, whereby the normal civil service recruitment rules are bypassed.

From BBC

“When we’re really emotionally stimulated, it makes it so much more challenging to have civil conversation. For politicians, I think that’s powerful, because emotions can be very easily manipulated.”

From Los Angeles Times

Despite those efforts, “there is evidence that the problems continue,” the civil rights office concluded.

From Los Angeles Times

Reinhold Mueller, who also claimed he was harassed and nearly “run off the road” in the lead-up to the trial, according to a civil lawsuit, police reports and a video reviewed by The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

Buzbee’s law firm has filed many of those civil lawsuits against Combs since his arrest in September.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• civilized
• cordial
• courteous
• diplomatic
• formal
• polite