incivility

noun

in·​ci·​vil·​i·​ty ˌin(t)-sə-ˈvi-lə-tē How to pronounce incivility (audio)
1
: the quality or state of being uncivil
2
: a rude or discourteous act

Examples of incivility in a Sentence

We chose to ignore their little insults and incivilities. I won't tolerate incivility, and that includes text messaging while I'm speaking.
Recent Examples on the Web In this divisive election year, workplace incivility is a threat to employee psychological safety and productivity. Jan Bruce, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Thanks to the speed, scale and design of our technological and media ecosystems, trash talk — in the form of incivility — has never had a wider or more instantaneous reach. Greg Hanlon, Peoplemag, 21 Dec. 2023 Addressing and expunging any behaviors that signal exclusion, marginalization, incivilities based on identity and subtle acts of unkindness. 2. Love Odih Kumuyi, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 But their repeatedly calling each other liars and bullies compounded the incivility. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2023 About 30 percent of survey respondents cited each of corrupt politicians, misinformation, social media and incivility. Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023 The Israeli-Palestinian conflict garners intense feelings, and the debate can and has spilled over into incivility and unreasonableness. Eric Levenson, CNN, 19 Oct. 2023 But the domestic scene today is far from orderly: the American public has turned inward; Congress has descended into bickering, incivility, and brinkmanship; and successive presidents have either disavowed or done a poor job explaining America’s global role. Robert M. Gates, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2023 Those competing instincts – incivility and how to deal with it – played out in the Aug. 5 brawl and its aftermath. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incivility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French incivilité, from Late Latin incivilitat-, incivilitas, from incivilis, from Latin in- + civilis civil

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of incivility was in 1584

Dictionary Entries Near incivility

Cite this Entry

“Incivility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incivility. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

incivility

noun
in·​ci·​vil·​i·​ty ˌin(t)-sə-ˈvil-ət-ē How to pronounce incivility (audio)
plural incivilities
1
: the quality or state of being impolite
2
: a rude or discourteous act
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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