noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ɪnsɪˈvɪlɪti/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N S IH0 V IH1 L IH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
1668, David Lloyd, Memoires of the Lives, Actions, Sufferings, and Deaths of those Noble, Reverend, and Excellent Personages that suffered by Death, Sequestration, Decimation, and otherwise for the Protestant Religion, London: Samuel Speed, “The Life and Death of Robert Berkley,” p. 96, Beat on proud Billows, Boreas blow, Swell curled Waves, high as Jove’s roof, Your incivility doth show, That Innocence is tempest proof.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: impoliteness
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any act of rudeness or ill-breeding.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Lack of civilization; a state of rudeness or barbarism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
deliberate discourtesy
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: civility
Broader terms: discourtesy, rudeness
History
Etymology
From Middle French incivilité, from Late Latin incivilitas (“incivility”), from Latin incivilis (“impolite, uncivil”), from in- (privative prefix) + civilis (“belonging to a citizen, civic, political, urbane, courteous, civil”) (from civis (“a citizen”)), equivalent to in- + civility.
Across languages
Translations
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
грубост
(grubost)
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
Bulgarian:
неучтивост
(neučtivost)
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
Catalan:
incivilitat
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
Finnish:
epäkohteliaisuus
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
French:
incivilité
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
German:
unhöfliches Benehmen
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
German:
Unhöflichkeit
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
German:
Grobheit
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
Hindi:
अशिष्टता
(aśiṣṭatā)
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
Portuguese:
incivilidade
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
Spanish:
incivilidad
— state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner
