civility
noun
ci·vil·i·ty
sə-ˈvi-lə-tē 
plural civilities
1
a
: civilized conduct
b
: a polite act or expression
… lacked the little civilities and hypocrisies of political society …—
Roy Jenkins
Roy JenkinsThe men briefly exchanged civilities before the meeting began.
2
archaic
: training in the humanities
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
Flynn said this past two-year term on the City Council has been particularly fraught, with divisiveness at the national level trickling down to local politics, which led him to pursue the formation of a civility subcommittee for the body.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
Drawing from the Transportation Department's civility campaign, which was launched last week, Duffy encouraged people to have common courtesy, civility and patience when traveling.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 24 Nov. 2025
To some, Cheney’s Friday memorial service at the National Cathedral hearkened back to a time of civility and bipartisan unity that preceded today’s intense political division.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 23 Nov. 2025
Others pointed to parts of the overall travel experience that are taking a toll on passengers as well, adding that airlines and regulators should bear more of the burden for bringing back civility than passengers.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civility
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Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
Drawing from the Transportation Department's civility campaign, which was launched last week, Duffy encouraged people to have common courtesy, civility and patience when traveling.
—Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 24 Nov. 2025
To some, Cheney’s Friday memorial service at the National Cathedral hearkened back to a time of civility and bipartisan unity that preceded today’s intense political division.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 23 Nov. 2025
Others pointed to parts of the overall travel experience that are taking a toll on passengers as well, adding that airlines and regulators should bear more of the burden for bringing back civility than passengers.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civility
Cite this Entry
“Civility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civility. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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