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

• amenity
• attention
• courtesy
• formality
• gesture
• pleasantry
• politeness

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

Tuesday night's face-off, a rare showing of civility in today's political climate, served as a throwback to an era when debates featured extended clashes over policy stances. —Sara Fischer, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024

Foster energy, giving and thoughtfulness to create civility throughout. —Kinga Vajda, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024

But this secret weapon for civility is biologically hardwired. —Jon Lapook, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2024

When a dialogue is approached with civility, connecting and finding common ground to ease unpleasant feelings becomes much more likely. —Laurel Donnellan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see civil

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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