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

Presidential inaugurations have always been targets for nefarious activities, most often tied to groups with opposing political positions who plan acts of civil disobedience. —Donald J. Mihalek, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2025

The nonviolent civil disobedience tactics were diverse, the protests were strategically sequenced, every class and every geographic part of the country was mobilized. —Mariam Memarsadeghi, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025

His films have often explored themes of power, submission, and the dynamics of oppression and civil disobedience. —Jamie Lang, Variety, 3 Jan. 2025

Thousands of civil servants go on strike as part of a nationwide civil disobedience movement. —Koh Ewe, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

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