What does “civil” mean?
- 1
adjectiveconnected with the people of a country, not the army or religion
They had a civil wedding at city hall.
- 2
adjectivepolite in a formal way, even if not friendly
Try to be civil to him, even if you’re angry.
Civil at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈsɪvəl/ · SIV-ul
Common phrases with “civil”
- civil rights
- civil war
- civil servant
- civil society
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- civilian
- civility
- civilization
“civil” is on these word lists
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