civil rights

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   The legal rights of every citizen to be treated fairly and freely, such as voting, equal schooling and protection from discrimination.

   Grammar: Always plural with a plural verb: civil rights are protected by law.

   Patterns

   • protect civil rights
   • violate someone's civil rights

   Equal access to voting is one of the civil rights protected by the constitution.

   The lawyer argued that the arrest violated his civil rights.

   The law banned discrimination in hiring to protect civil rights.

2. 2nounsingular

   The movement, especially in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, to end racial discrimination and win equal legal rights.

   Grammar: Used before a noun in this sense: the civil rights movement.

   Patterns

   • the civil rights movement
   • civil rights leader

   Students studied the civil rights movement and its marches.

   Many civil rights leaders gave speeches in Washington.

   The museum has an exhibit on the civil rights era.

Common combinations

civil rights movement

The civil rights movement changed laws across the country.

civil rights law

A new civil rights law banned discrimination in housing.

civil rights activist

The civil rights activist spoke at the rally.

violate civil rights

The lawsuit claims the police violated his civil rights.

defend civil rights

The organization defends civil rights in court.

Synonyms and how they differ

civil liberties

Civil liberties are freedoms the government cannot take away, such as free speech, while civil rights stress equal treatment.

human rights

Human rights belong to everyone everywhere, whereas civil rights are guaranteed by a particular country's laws.

legal rights

Legal rights is broader and includes any right recognized by law, such as contract rights.

equal rights

Equal rights stresses sameness of treatment, a core part of civil rights.

Opposites

Word family

civil adjective

relating to citizens

right noun

something you are legally or morally entitled to

civil rights movement noun

campaign for equal legal rights

civility noun

polite behavior

Commonly confused: civil rights or civil liberties? civil rights or human rights?

Practice

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