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

• 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

Eisgruber also believes that speech should conform to norms of civility. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

When human decency and basic civility fall victim to partisanship and ideology, and abhorrence of violence becomes tempered by political aims, monstrosities and tyrannies become possible. —Michael Bloomberg, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025

Social media isn’t the only factor behind our decline in civility. —Larry Magid, Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2025

Divisions within the Republican Party between those favoring hard-line policies and leaders seeking a return to civility and unity are likely to become more pronounced. —Shane Croucher amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025

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