civil disobedience

noun

: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government

Examples of civil disobedience in a Sentence

In an act of civil disobedience, the family sent its tax money to an antiwar organization. A student organization is encouraging civil disobedience as a way to get the university to change its policies.
Recent Examples on the Web Thinking Ethical hacking: saving society with computer code As a form of civil disobedience, hacking can help make the world a better place. Big Think, 24 June 2024 In the past, the Manhattan DA’s office has declined to prosecute or deferred prosecution cases where large numbers of people were arrested as part of civil disobedience. Mark Morales, CNN, 20 June 2024 In 1930, Gandhi set off from the ashram on the Salt March, a spectacular action of civil disobedience in protest of a British monopoly on salt. Maya Jasanoff, The New Yorker, 19 June 2024 Bass the activist has written editorials and articles about clear-cutting and roadbuilding in the Yaak, filed lawsuits against the USFS, and been arrested for civil disobedience multiple times, once in front of the White House. Alexis Marie Adams, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for civil disobedience 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civil disobedience.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of civil disobedience was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near civil disobedience

Cite this Entry

“Civil disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20disobedience. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Legal Definition

civil disobedience

noun
civil dis·​obe·​di·​ence
: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government

More from Merriam-Webster on civil disobedience

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