civil disobedience

noun

: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government

Examples of civil disobedience in a Sentence

In an act of civil disobedience, the family sent its tax money to an antiwar organization.

A student organization is encouraging civil disobedience as a way to get the university to change its policies.

Recent Examples on the Web

The group has engaged in a number of public demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience outside the offices of major AI labs. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

Moscow Contemporary, an arts organization in Moscow, Idaho – a city of about 27,000 people — is planning two days of events, including a roundtable discussion on civil disobedience and an open mic night. —Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 21 Nov. 2025

An act of civil disobedience includes sitting on a public road to block traffic. —Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2025

Advertisement For that reason, collegiate sanctions for mild acts of civil disobedience may sometimes be relatively light—probation or a formal warning, for example, rather than suspension or expulsion. —Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for civil disobedience

• expedience
• obedience

Legal Definition

civil disobedience

noun

civil dis·​obe·​di·​ence

: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government