civil death

noun

Definition of civil death

: the status of a living person equivalent in its legal consequences to natural death specifically : deprivation of civil rights

Examples of civil death in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web British settlers brought the idea of civil death with them to the New World, and the first laws stripping criminals of voting rights appeared in the 1600s. — Austin Sarat, The Conversation, "Stripping voting rights from felons is about politics, not punishment," 4 June 2020 Most civil death laws in the United States have been repealed or successfully challenged in court. — USA TODAY, "Robot hostesses, veggie booze, ‘civil death’: News from around our 50 states," 4 July 2019 The concept dates to the colonial era, when certain criminals were shunned and stripped of rights, a practice known as civil death. — New York Times, "They Served Their Time. Now They’re Fighting for Other Ex-Felons to Vote.," 11 May 2018 Most civil death laws in the United States have been repealed or successfully challenged in court. — USA TODAY, "Robot hostesses, veggie booze, ‘civil death’: News from around our 50 states," 4 July 2019 The concept dates to the colonial era, when certain criminals were shunned and stripped of rights, a practice known as civil death. — New York Times, "They Served Their Time. Now They’re Fighting for Other Ex-Felons to Vote.," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'civil death.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Civil death.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20death. Accessed 14 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for civil death

civil death

noun

Legal Definition of civil death

: the status of a living person equivalent in its legal consequences to natural death specifically : deprivation of certain civil rights upon conviction for a serious crime

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