civility

civility — noun

1. behaviour that shows respect and good manners toward other people

1.名詞B2
釋義

behaviour that shows respect and good manners toward other people

例句

The hotel staff treated every guest with warmth and civility.

treat with civility — verb + uncountable noun collocation

Even during the heated argument, Priya managed to speak with civility.

同義詞
  • politeness

    more everyday term; civility is slightly more formal

  • courtesy

    similar formality, but often refers to a specific considerate action rather than a general quality

  • respect

    broader meaning that includes admiration for someone's abilities or character, not just manners

反義詞
  • rudeness

    direct opposite; common everyday term

  • incivility

    more formal antonym; same register as civility

用法筆記

Unlike the more everyday term politeness, civility carries a slightly formal tone and often implies a societal or workplace standard of respectful interaction rather than individual good manners alone.

常見錯誤

❌The host showed us many civilities at the party.
✅The host treated us with civility at the party.
💡Civility as uncountable polite behaviour does not take a plural form. Use civilities only when referring to polite remarks (sense 2).

2. polite comments or small actions that people exchange in social situations, ofte

2.名詞B2
釋義

polite comments or small actions that people exchange in social situations, often because it is expected rather than because they truly mean them

例句

After the meeting, Tomás exchanged a few civilities with his colleagues before leaving.

exchange civilities — fixed collocation

The dinner guests traded civilities about the weather and the food, though none of them knew each other well.

同義詞
  • pleasantries

    closely overlapping; both refer to polite social remarks, but pleasantries is slightly more common in everyday use

  • formalities

    broader; includes procedural or ceremonial steps as well as remarks

用法筆記

Takes plural form civilities for this meaning; the singular civility belongs to sense 1 (POLITENESS).

常見錯誤

❌I appreciate your civilities about my work.
✅I appreciate your civility in giving me honest advice.
💡Civilities refers to polite social remarks, not general polite behaviour. For the quality of being polite, use the uncountable form civility (sense 1).