civil

/ˈsɪvəl/
adjective
  1. Relating to ordinary citizens and their activities, not military or religious.
    • Civil rights protect the freedoms of all citizens.
    • The civil government took over after the military left.
    • They got married in a civil ceremony at city hall.
  2. Polite and courteous, especially in a formal way.
    • Please try to be civil to your cousin at the family dinner.
    • A civil response is always better than a rude one.
    • Even when they disagreed, they kept the conversation civil.
  3. Relating to private legal matters between people or organizations, not criminal.
    • Civil cases are handled differently from criminal cases in court.
    • The lawyer specializes in civil law, not criminal defense.
    • They filed a civil lawsuit over the property dispute.
Antonyms
What does "civil" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean