civil liberty
noun
plural civil liberties
: freedom from arbitrary interference in one's speech or actions by other individuals or by the government especially as constitutionally guaranteed (as by the U.S. Bill of Rights)
—usually plural
Examples of civil liberties include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, the right to privacy, and the right to due process of law.—
Ramon Martin
compare civil rights
Ramon Martin
civil libertarian
noun
plural civil libertarians
civil libertarian
adjective
… continued divisions within the GOP on civil libertarian issues.
—Ian Duncan and Lisa Mascaro
Ian Duncan and Lisa Mascaro
Examples of civil liberty in a Sentence
Freedom of speech is a civil liberty.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Open Society Foundations initiative is structured across two core pillars — defending civil liberties and the rule of law and expanding civil rights and creating economic opportunity.
—Geoff Harris, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2026
Since the party rose to power in 2014, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm, critics have accused it of stifling civil liberties and the press, pursuing a Hindu-first agenda, and inflaming religious divisions within India’s secular democracy.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
Observers say their prosecution reflected the city's decline in Western-style civil liberties, which Beijing promised to maintain for 50 years when the former British colony returned to its rule in 1997.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
It’s opposed by the ACLU California Action and other civil liberties and criminal justice reform groups.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil liberty
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Geoff Harris, Baltimore Sun, 22 May 2026
Since the party rose to power in 2014, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm, critics have accused it of stifling civil liberties and the press, pursuing a Hindu-first agenda, and inflaming religious divisions within India’s secular democracy.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
Observers say their prosecution reflected the city's decline in Western-style civil liberties, which Beijing promised to maintain for 50 years when the former British colony returned to its rule in 1997.
—ABC News, 18 May 2026
It’s opposed by the ACLU California Action and other civil liberties and criminal justice reform groups.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for civil liberty
Cite this Entry
“Civil liberty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20liberty. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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