civil
12 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of CIVIL
1
always used before a noun
:
of or relating to the people who live in a country
—
see also civil disobedience, civil war
-
civil liberties/duties
-
a period of civil unrest [=a time when groups of people in a country fight one another]
2
always used before a noun
:
of or relating to the regular business of the people in a city, town, state, etc.
:
not connected to the military or to a religion
-
They got married in a civil ceremony at city hall.
-
civil institutions
3
not used before a noun,
[more civil; most civil]
:
polite but not friendly
:
only as polite as a person needs to be in order to not be rude
—
opposite uncivil
-
It was hard to be civil when I felt so angry.
-
She was barely civil to me.
4
[more civil; most civil]
:
caring about art, science, government, people's well-being, etc.
—
opposite uncivil
-
She argues that a civil [=(more commonly) civilized] society takes care of its weakest members.
5
always used before a noun,
law
:
relating to laws that describe a person's rights rather than to laws about crime
—
compare 1criminal 2;
see also civil law, civil liberty, civil rights
-
The couple filed a civil suit against the company that made the crib.
-
civil cases
-
rules of civil procedure
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The couple couldn't even discuss things civilly [=politely] anymore.
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“Thank you for helping me, sir,” she said civilly.
