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
The trouble is, especially in the DOGE era, the guys who the film aims to indict have no masks of civility left to tear off.
—Judy Berman, Time, 23 May 2025
That is the beauty of civility and mutual respect for all people.
—Jerry Haag, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Today, in politics, civility has reached new lows — to the detriment of our citizens.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2025
But for each other, there was a professional civility and nothing more.
—Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civility
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Judy Berman, Time, 23 May 2025
That is the beauty of civility and mutual respect for all people.
—Jerry Haag, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Today, in politics, civility has reached new lows — to the detriment of our citizens.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2025
But for each other, there was a professional civility and nothing more.
—Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 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 29 May. 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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