civilities

Definition of civilitiesnext
plural of civility
as in courtesies
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners after the usual civilities, the parents and the principal had a serious talk about the boy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for civilities
Noun
  • With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
    Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Leonora measures out her days in courtesies and slights, the former dominating the beginning of the book, the latter rapidly gaining ground.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Under the hood, Sprout uses a highly articulated body with 29 degrees of freedom to support smooth movement and expressive gestures.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • That puts much more pressure to perform on Valentine's Day, whether through big gestures or gifts.
    ​Wendy Wisner, Parents, 10 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Civilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civilities. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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