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
Synonyms
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
There was a sense of civility to him, and maybe the ground crew saw that in interacting with him.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2024
Recommended The Monitor's View South Africa’s calming civility The ice was strategically placed around the zoo July 10 creating cool spots where animals could find refuge from unusually high temperatures.
—Jovana Gec, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2024
Carmel City Council member Jeff Worrell launched a civility campaign at the start of the year to push politeness in his hometown.
—Justin L. MacK, Axios, 10 July 2024
Our government institutions are not viewed as legitimate, the concepts of truth, rationality and civility no longer guide political discourse, and public officials repeatedly escape accountability for their words and deeds.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for civility 
Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2024
Recommended The Monitor's View South Africa’s calming civility The ice was strategically placed around the zoo July 10 creating cool spots where animals could find refuge from unusually high temperatures.
—Jovana Gec, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2024
Carmel City Council member Jeff Worrell launched a civility campaign at the start of the year to push politeness in his hometown.
—Justin L. MacK, Axios, 10 July 2024
Our government institutions are not viewed as legitimate, the concepts of truth, rationality and civility no longer guide political discourse, and public officials repeatedly escape accountability for their words and deeds.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for civility
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Civility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civility. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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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