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Meaning & use

civic

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈsɪvɪk/
US/ˈsɪvɪk/

Meaning

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Connected with a city or town, or with the duties and activities of people as members of their local community.

    Grammar: It sits before the noun it describes: a civic leader, not a leader who is civic.

    Patterns

    • civic duty
    • civic leaders

    Voting in local elections is seen by many as a basic civic duty.

    The new library is the pride of the town's civic center.

    Teachers hope the class will build civic awareness in young people.

Common combinations

civic duty
Serving on a jury is a civic duty in many countries.
civic pride
The restored fountain filled residents with civic pride.
civic center
The concert is being held at the civic center downtown.
civic leader
A respected civic leader opened the food drive.
civic engagement
Neighborhood meetings encourage civic engagement among young adults.

Synonyms and how they differ

municipal
Municipal refers strictly to the administration of a town or city, such as municipal taxes, while civic can also cover the attitudes and duties of its residents.
public
Public is far broader, covering anything open to or concerning people in general, whereas civic ties the idea to community membership.
communal
Communal means shared by a group and need not involve a town or its government at all.

Opposites

private

Word family

civics noun
the school subject that studies government and the rights and duties of citizens
civil adjective
relating to ordinary citizens, or polite in manner
civilian noun
a person who is not in the armed forces
citizen noun
a legal member of a country or town

Commonly confused: civic or civil?

civic vs civil

Civil usually means polite or non-military, as in a civil reply or civil law, while civic is about towns and community duties.

Practice

Which word best completes the sentence? Picking up litter in the park felt like a small ___ duty.

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