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

Beginning in her early teens, Joyce loved watching Kirk’s debates on Instagram, seeing in them not carefully honed rhetorical tactics but authentic civility. — Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

There were some nods in the direction of a more old-fashioned political civility Wednesday night. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2026

As well as calling you a hypocrite almost a decade ago over your Monica Lewinsky jokes in the late 1990s and your calls for civility, John Oliver in particular has taken you to the woodshed over your criticism of late-night getting too partisan. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 June 2026

Four candidates drawing attention are Harold Cogdell, Carrie Cook, Mike Evans and Robert Harrington, who emphasized affordability, infrastructure and restoring civility to council meetings. — Charlotte Observer, 16 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