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 jury in a civil case against Conor McGregor will continue its deliberations at the High Court in Dublin on Friday.

From BBC

Kamel Daoud was awarded the Goncourt prize earlier this month for his novel Houris, a searing account of Algeria’s 1990s civil war in which up to 200,000 people were killed.

From BBC

The peacebuilding process attempted to lessen poverty and improve communities' livelihoods, but Nepal's communities faced significant difficulties due to the persistence of the underlying causes of the civil war combined with climate change impacts.

From Science Daily

At least three opposition politicians and a civil rights activists were arrested following the case.

From BBC

“Yes, deputy prime minister,” a civil servant explained: “It is an automatic device to control the internal temperature.”

From New York Times

Related Words

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