civil

civil
civ‧il S3 W2 AC /ˈsɪvəl/ adjective1. [only before noun] relating to the people who live in a country
    civil war/disturbance/unrest etc (=fighting etc between different groups of people living in the same country) ⇨ civil liberty, civil rights
2. [only before noun] relating to the ordinary people or things in a country that are not part of military, government, or religious organizations:
    They were married in a civil ceremony in May.
3. [only before noun] relating to the laws about the private affairs of citizens, such as laws about business or property, rather than laws about crime ⇨ civil law, criminal:
    Many civil cases can be settled out of court.
4. polite in a formal but not very friendly way ⇨ civility:
    Try at least to be civil.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ nouns
   ▪ civil war (=fighting between groups of people in the same country) His family fled Spain during the Spanish civil war.
   ▪ civil rights (=the right to vote, be treated fairly etc that everyone should have) Black people marched in defence of their civil rights.
   ▪ civil liberties/liberty (=the right to be free to do what you want within the law) Detention without trial threatens our civil liberties.
   ▪ civil disobedience/unrest (=when people protest or behave violently) Unemployment has provoked widespread civil unrest.
   ▪ civil disturbances/strife (=civil unrest) Troops have been called in to deal with civil disturbances.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ polite behaving or speaking in a way that is correct for the social situation you are in, and showing that you are careful to consider other people’s needs and feelings: He was too polite to ask how old she was. | ‘Excuse me, sir,’ she said in a polite voice.
   ▪ well-mannered having good manners and knowing the correct way to behave in social situations: She was beautifully dressed and very well-mannered.
   ▪ well-behaved polite and not causing any trouble – used about children or animals: The children were very well-behaved. | Well-behaved dogs are welcome at the hotel.
   ▪ courteous /ˈkɜːtiəs $ ˈkɜːr-/ polite and respectful, and behaving rather formally: The hotel staff were very courteous and helpful. | a courteous reply
   ▪ respectful polite and treating someone with respect: He was very respectful towards all my relatives. | ‘Thank you,’ he said with a respectful bow.
   ▪ civil polite in a formal way, especially when you do not feel very friendly towards someone: She’d never liked her father-in-law, but she forced herself to be civil to him. | When you’ve stopped arguing, you might be able to have a civil conversation.
   ▪ deferential formal polite towards someone, especially because they are in a more important social position: In those days women were expected to be deferential to men.