civilly

Adverb

civilly (comparative more civilly, superlative most civilly)

1. In a civil manner; politely.
   • ‘I beg your pardon, Dr. Lanyon,’ he replied civilly enough. ‘What you say is very well founded; and my impatience has shown its heels to my politeness.[…]’1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 101
   • Recently, the Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Amy Coney Barrett spoke together publicly about how members of the court speak civilly to one another while disagreeing, sometimes vigorously, about the law.2024 April 3, Stephen Breyer, “Stephen Breyer: The Supreme Court I Served On Was Made Up of Friends”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Apr 2024
2. (obsolete) In a manner befitting a citizen.
   • WHERE before this Time the ancient Cities, Boroughs, Towns Corporate and Market-Towns within this Realm of England have been very populous, and chiefly inhabited with Merchants, Artificers and Handicraftſmen, during which Time the Children in the ſaid Cities, Boroughs, Towns Corporate and...1554, “An Act that Persons dwelling in the Country shall not sell divers Wares in Cities or Towns Corporate by Retail”, in The Statutes at Large, from the First Year of King Edward the Fourth to the...
   • The people inhabit ſcatteringly here and there, in Dennes or Caverns (rather than Houſes) of Boughes and Leaves of Palme-trees. And becauſe this manner of living ſo diſperſedly, is the cauſe that theſe people remaine in their former ſavageneſſe of mind, and crueltie of life: and withall, inſomuch...1635, Iohn Botero [i.e., Giovanni Botero], translated by T[homas] H[awkins], “Of Authoritie”, in The Cause of the Greatnesse of Cities. […], London: […] E[lizabeth] P[urslowe] for Henry Seile, […]...