of, relating to, or consisting of citizens: civil life; civil society.
of the commonwealth or state: civil affairs.
of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs.
of the citizen as an individual: civil liberty.
befitting a citizen: a civil duty.
of, or in a condition of, social order or organized government; civilized: civil peoples.
adhering to the norms of polite social intercourse; not deficient in common courtesy: After their disagreement, their relations were civil though not cordial.
marked by benevolence: He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately.
(of divisions of time) legally recognized in the ordinary affairs of life: the civil year.
of or relating to civil law.
Origin of civil
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin cīvīlis, equivalent to cīv(is) citizen + -īlis-il
7, 8. 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.
Malcolm was incarcerated for several years and went on to mobilize thousands on issues of both civil and human rights.
How Laurence Fishburne Gave Voice To ‘The Autobiography Of Malcolm X’|Joi-Marie McKenzie|September 17, 2020|Essence.com
To create lasting community change, meaningful reforms should also be a component of civil settlements.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
I would say that with civil disturbance type operations, we’re reluctant because there are many things that can go wrong.
Mobilizing the National Guard Doesn’t Mean Your State Is Under Martial Law. Usually.|by Logan Jaffe|September 17, 2020|ProPublica
I've had long conversations with the civil rights community here to say that I recognize that he would have been a great assistant attorney general for civil rights.
The Trailer: The First State goes last|David Weigel|September 15, 2020|Washington Post
The city and the district attorney listed multiple “Does” on each injunction upon the initial filing, so that law enforcement could add people in the future without having to file another civil injunction.
While We’re Rethinking Policing, It’s Time to End Gang Injunctions|Jamie Wilson|September 15, 2020|Voice of San Diego
They are, to say the least, preparing for civil war (the polling stations are stormed by armed gangs).
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Rashad was there to celebrate the release of the Civil Rights drama Selma.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
An attack on journalists anywhere is an attack on civil society everywhere.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The scheme has been condemned by civil liberties groups and queried by the National Association of Head Teachers.
Britain May Spy on Preschoolers Searching for Potential Jihadis|Nico Hines|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On Friday, the story had looked like it might blow over as Buckingham Palace sought to dismiss it as a “civil case.”
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lincoln was especially fond of a joke at the expense of some high military or civil dignitary.
The Every-day Life of Abraham Lincoln|Francis Fisher Browne
During the Civil War, Exeter was twice besieged, but on neither occasion so rigorously as in 1549.
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts|Rosalind Northcote
Qualified as a civil engineer in Montreal, and practised his profession for some years.
The Makers of Canada: Index and Dictionary of Canadian History|Various
"Having paid the last arrears on the Civil List, I must now do the same for you," he wrote.
Farmer George, Volume 2|Lewis Melville
The furniture of the convents was transferred to the civil and military hospitals.
Joseph Bonaparte|John S. C. Abbott
British Dictionary definitions for civil
civil
/ (ˈsɪvəl) /
adjective
of the ordinary life of citizens as distinguished from military, legal, or ecclesiastical affairs
of or relating to the citizen as an individualcivil rights
of or occurring within the state or between citizenscivil strife
polite or courteous
a less common word for civic
of or in accordance with Roman law
relating to the private rights of citizens
Derived forms of civil
civilly, adverbcivilness, noun
Word Origin for civil
C14: from Old French, from Latin cīvīlis, from cīvis citizen