civility

noun

ci·​vil·​i·​ty sə-ˈvi-lə-tē 

plural civilities

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

• courtesy
• gesture
• politeness
• manners

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

Catholic social teaching likewise calls us to uphold the dignity of every person and to engage in public life with civility and respect. —Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026

Laws promote civility, but only if cops effectively enforce them. —Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026

The four candidates for Sacramento County’s 1st Supervisorial District gathered at the Coloma Community Center on Thursday evening for a forum that that was long on both info and civility. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 2026

Blending absurdist humor with social critique, the series explores how civility can be weaponized to justify cruelty. —Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see civil

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for civility

• ability
• agility
• debility
• docility
• ductility
• facility
• fertility
• fragility
• futility
• gentility
• hostility
• humility

Kids Definition

civility

noun

ci·​vil·​i·​ty sə-ˈvil-ət-ē 

plural civilities

1

: civilized conduct

especially : courtesy sense 1, politeness

2

: a polite act or expression