civil liberty

noun

plural civil liberties

: freedom from arbitrary interference in one's speech or actions by other individuals or by the government especially as constitutionally guaranteed (as by the U.S. Bill of Rights)

—usually plural

Examples of civil liberties include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, the right to privacy, and the right to due process of law.

—Ramon Martin

compare civil rights

civil libertarian noun

plural civil libertarians

Civil libertarians contend that the heightened scrutiny has discouraged illegal immigrants from seeking marriage, … a fundamental right protected under the Constitution.

—Randy Kennedy

civil libertarian adjective

… continued divisions within the GOP on civil libertarian issues.

—Ian Duncan and Lisa Mascaro

Examples of civil liberty in a Sentence

Freedom of speech is a civil liberty.

Recent Examples on the Web

The database took seven years to produce, created by journalists, data scientists, lawyers and civil liberties groups working with the Berkeley Institute for Data Science, UC Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program and Stanford University’s Big Local News. —The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 8 Aug. 2025

Facial recognition software, commonly used in predictive policing and national security, has exhibited biases against people of color and consequently is often considered a threat to civil liberties. —Anjana Susarla, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2025

These things — human rights, civil liberties, basic human dignity — matter. —Michael Pfleger, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025

Any such move would almost certainly spark a furious response from Democrats and civil liberty campaigners. —James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

civil liberty

noun

: freedom from arbitrary interference in one's pursuits (as in expressing thoughts, practicing a religion, or pursuing a living) by individuals or especially by the government and especially as constitutionally guaranteed

—usually used in pl. see also civil right