Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of civil

14 similar words · 5 opposite words

Another word for civil is secular. Other synonyms of civil are nonreligious, temporal, worldy, areligious and earthly. The opposite of civil is impolite.

Synonyms and similar words for civil

adjectiveSecular.

  • nonreligiousNot religious.
  • temporalOf or relating to the material world, as opposed to sacred or clerical.
  • worldySynonym of worldly.
  • areligiousNot religious; irreligious.
  • earthlyRelating to the earth or this world, as opposed to heaven or the heavens.
  • irreligiousHaving no relation to religion.
  • laicistPertaining to or representing the interests of the laity; non-clerical; secular.
  • laicisticSecular, laic.
  • mundaneWorldly, earthly, profane, vulgar as opposed to heavenly.
  • profaneNot sacred or holy, unconsecrated; relating to non-religious matters, secular.
  • secularNot specifically religious; lay or civil, as opposed to clerical.
  • unconsecratedNot consecrated.
  • unsanctifiedNot having been sanctified; not made sacred; remaining mundane or worldly.
  • worldlyConcerned with secular rather than sacred matters.

Opposite of civil

adjectiveBehaving in a reasonable or polite manner; avoiding displays of hostility.

  • anti-civilUncivil(ised) and in opposition to civil society; opposed to or lacking the features of civil society (for example...
  • impoliteNot polite; discourteous; not of polished manners; wanting in good manners.
  • inconsiderate
  • noncivilNot civil.
  • rude

Meaning of civil

  1. adjective Having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
  2. adjective Behaving in a reasonable or polite manner; avoiding displays of hostility.
  3. adjective In a peaceful and well-ordered state.

Full definition of civil

civil in other languages

Questions about synonyms of civil

What is another word for civil?
Civil has 14 synonyms on Word.ws, such as secular, nonreligious, temporal, worldy, areligious, earthly, irreligious and laicist.
What is the opposite of civil?
The opposite of civil is impolite.
What does civil mean?
Civil means having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: civil (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of civil.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/civil. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.