Dictionary

civil en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• ʹsĭv-əl
• /ˈsɪv.əl/ (Australia, Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (California) audio

Etymology

From Middle English cyvyl, civil, borrowed from Old French civil, from Latin cīvīlis (“relating to a citizen”), from cīvis (“citizen”) ultimately from proto-Indo-European *ḱey-. Cognate with Old English hīwen (“household”), hīrǣden (“family”). More at hind; hird. (polite): Compare typologically urbane (<< Latin urbs), courteous (akin to court).

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
   • A third is wroth: ‘Is this an hour ⁠For private sorrow’s barren song, ⁠When more and more the people throng The chairs and thrones of civil power?’ 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 35:
   • She went into civil service because she wanted to help the people.
2. (comparable) Behaving in a reasonable or polite manner; avoiding displays of hostility.
   • They despise each other, but they are always civil in public.
   • It was very civil of him to stop the argument.
3. (archaic) In a peaceful and well-ordered state.
   • Herein thou haſt done good ſeruice to thy country: VVere all inhumaine ſlaues ſo ſerued as he, England would be ciuill, and from all ſuch dealings free. 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act I:
4. Relating to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters.
   • a civil case
5. Secular.
   • Some grammarians explain this passage as referring to a civil sanctity, in respect of the children being reckoned legitimate, but in this respect the condition of unbelievers is in no degree worse. 2013, John Calvin, Calvin's Complete Commentary, Volume 7: Acts to Ephesians:
   • As if our Saviour had said, No man can enter into heaven except he be born again; so as he speaketh not only of notorious Sinners, as Adulterers, Drunkards, Swearers, & c. but of all who are in their natural condition, tho' they live never so unblameably, free from scandalous sins, if they be not born again, their civil Righteousness will do them little good, for they shall never see the Kingdom of God. 1680, A Practical Discourse of Regeneration:
   • The word from which "evil" in Romans 13.4 is translated means "generally opposed to civil goodness or virtue, in a commonwealth, and not to spiritual good, or religion, in the church. 2008, Jerald Finney, God Betrayed, →ISBN, page 174:

Forms

Antonyms

noncivil · impolite · rude · anti-civil · inconsiderate

Deriveds

put a civil tongue in one's head · civil list · civil suit · civil partnership · civil code · civility · civilise · civil service · civil wrong · civil marriage · civil defence · civil death · civil war · civil twilight · minor civil division · civil engineering · civilize · civil law notary · civilist · civil parish · civil court · civilian · civil partner · civil year · civil enforcement officer · Civil Guard · civil rights · overcivil · civil day · uncivil · civil servant · civil rights movement · civil liberties · civil defense · civil power · civil ensign · civil engineer · civil union · civilogue · civil procedure · civil violation · civil registry · civil aviation · civilish · civil tongue · civil liberty · civilness · put a civil tongue in one's mouth · civil society · civil disobedience · Common-Civil-Calendar-and-Time Calendar · civil time · keep a civil tongue · American civil religion · keep a civil tongue in one's head · ultracivil · civil status · civil celebrant · keep a civil tongue in one's mouth · civil trial · civil libertarian · civil law · civilly · civil rightist · civil action

Descendants

シビル

Relateds

civilization · civic

Synonyms

worldy · nonreligious · temporal · secular · unsanctified · profane · temporal · unconsecrated · mundane · civil · areligious · earthly · nonreligious · irreligious · laicist · worldly · laicistic

Translations (129)

es civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · fi kohtelias (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · tg гражданӣ (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · fi asiallinen (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · sk slušný (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · vi dân sự (law: related to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters) · da civiliseret (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · hi नागरिक (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · tg маданӣ (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · sh grȁđanskī (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · oc civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ky жарандык (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · fi siviili- (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · da civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · cs vychovaný (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · id sipil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · pms sivil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · mi rarautake (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ja 民事上 (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ast civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · hu polgári (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · sl civilen (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · kk азаматтық (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ga béasach (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · sk civilný (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ru ве́жливый (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · mk цивилизи́ран (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · cy sifil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · sk vychovaný (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · nl geciviliseerd (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ur مَدَنی (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ko 민사 (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · he אזרחי (law: related to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters) · sh цѝвӣлнӣ (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · sh гра̏ђанскӣ (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · id beradab (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · cmn 民事的 (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · fi kansalais- (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · tr sivil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · pt civil (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · nl civiel (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · pt civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · lv pilsonisks (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · fr civil (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ru циви́льный (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · bg учти́в (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · sv civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · mk граѓански (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · mk у́чтив (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · hi मिलनसार (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ru воспи́танный (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ja 礼やか (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · bg циви́лен (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ms sivil (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · gl civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · de zivil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · fi yksityis- (law: related to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters) · be грамадзя́нскі (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · de bürgerlich (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ar أَهْلِيّ (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · uk циві́льний (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · cs civilizovaný (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · nl burgerlijk (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · sk civilizovaný (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ru культу́рный (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · fa-ira شَهْری (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ur شَہْری (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · be цыві́льны (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · it civile (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ga sibhialta (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · hy քաղաքացիական (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · bg гра́ждански (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · uz grajdan (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · br keodedel (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · km ស៊ីវិល (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · cs slušný (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · eu zibil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ro civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · gv beasagh (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · nl beschaafd (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · fi siviili- (law: related to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters) · ar مَدَنِيّ (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · hi सिविल (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · eo civila (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · mk во́спитан (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · gd catharra (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · uk шта́тський (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · mk цивилен (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · la cīvīlis (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · tg шаҳрвандӣ (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · cs kulturní (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · fr civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · mk ку́лтурен (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ga sibhialta (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · sk kultúrny (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · sh cìvīlnī (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · fa-ira مَدَنی (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · de zivilisiert (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · pt civilizado (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · uk громадя́нський (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ka სამოქალაქო (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · be грама́дзкi (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · cs civilní (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · hi सभ्य (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ru цивилизо́ванный (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · sq civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · he מנומס (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · es civil (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · az mülki (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ky граждандык (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ca civil (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · bg ве́жлив (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · gd sìobhalta (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · pl cywilny (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · hi सिविल (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ru шта́тский (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · el πολιτικός (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · id perdata (law: related to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters) · tl bayanhin (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ja 民事的 (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ja 民事 (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ms sivil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · ca civil (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · sv civiliserad (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · ja うやうやしい (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner) · he אֶזְרָחִי (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · pl cywilny (law: related to private relations among citizens, as opposed to criminal matters) · ru гражда́нский (related to people and government office as opposed to military or religion) · da høflig (behaving in a reasonable or polite manner)