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
Synonyms
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 mayor has also asked for civility as women employed by the city who were not involved in the post had been bullied and harassed.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2024
Assaults on Politicians: A spate of attacks on German officials and politicians has brought fresh worries over political violence and a breakdown of civility ahead of several critical elections.
—Liz Alderman, New York Times, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for civility 
Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2024
Assaults on Politicians: A spate of attacks on German officials and politicians has brought fresh worries over political violence and a breakdown of civility ahead of several critical elections.
—Liz Alderman, New York Times, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for civility
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'civility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Civility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civility. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
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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