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

In her vast experience monitoring civility, Miss Manners has observed that high standards, although perhaps rare everywhere, are just as likely, or perhaps even more likely, to be found among the lower as among the upper brackets. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 9 June 2026

In 2016, voters were asked to choose between a populist candidate dogged by questions about his integrity, judgment, decency, civility, empathy, and respect for everyone from complete strangers to his own wife, and an overqualified, glass-ceiling-smashing woman. —Shannon A. Mullen, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

The question now is whether civility and mutual cooperation can survive the transformation from little town to big one. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026

The soft power of civility Can something as abstract as civility be an instrument of soft power? —Bobby Ghosh, Time, 1 June 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