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View synonyms for

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: , , , , , , ,
    Antonyms: ,
  8. marked by benevolence.

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

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

    the civil year.

  10. of or relating to civil law.



civil

/ ˈɪə /

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

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • civilness noun
  • anticivil adjective
  • half-civil adjective
  • half-civilly adverb
  • overcivil adjective
  • overcivilly adverb
  • quasi-civil adjective
  • quasi-civilly adverb
  • supercivil adjective
  • supercivilly adverb
  • ˈԱ noun
  • ˈ adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of civil1

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin īī, equivalent to ī ( is ) citizen + -il
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Word History and Origins

Origin of civil1

C14: from Old French, from Latin īī, from īis citizen
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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.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

On Friday, a black box was found at the site of the crash which India's civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said would "significantly aid the inquiry" into the disaster.

From

On Saturday, Jose Azetcla, a member of the civil rights group the Brown Berets, told the BBC in Los Angeles that it was immigration that brought him out on to the streets.

From

Both young women were born during the civil war and grew up witnessing their country fragmenting.

From

He is simply a prisoner in Ukraine's civil legal system.

From

The law grants civil immunity to drivers who injure or kill someone while fleeing a protest blocking a roadway, but only if the driver claims they feared for their safety.

From

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civiescivil action