civility

noun

ci·​vil·​i·​ty sə-ˈvi-lə-tē How to pronounce civility (audio)
plural civilities
Synonyms of civility
1
a
: civilized conduct
especially : courtesy, politeness
bemoaned the decline of civility in our politics
b
: a polite act or expression
… lacked the little civilities and hypocrisies of political society …—Roy Jenkins
The men briefly exchanged civilities before the meeting began.
2
archaic : training in the humanities

Synonyms of civility

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of civility in a Sentence

They greeted each other with the usual exchange of civilities. after the usual civilities, the parents and the principal had a serious talk about the boy
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite the challenges, many candidates are impelled by the desire to steer political discourse toward civility and issues that matter most to ordinary citizens. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 But most of us have been around long enough to miss things such as bipartisanship among lawmakers and general civility. — Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 Joe Biden, a link to a bygone era of civility and bipartisanship, ran in 2020 on a message of restoring the soul of America. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 His rage stands as a measure of machismo, as if civility is for wimps. — Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for civility

Word History

Etymology

see civil

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of civility was in 1533

Rhymes for civility

See All Rhymes for civility

Browse Nearby Words

civiliter mortuus
civility
civilizable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Civility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civility. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

civility

noun
ci·​vil·​i·​ty sə-ˈvil-ət-ē How to pronounce civility (audio)
plural civilities
1
: civilized conduct
especially : courtesy sense 1, politeness
2
: a polite act or expression
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All