1 [attributive] relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns, as distinct from military or ecclesiastical matters:civil aviation (of conflict) occurring between citizens of the same country:civil strife Law relating to private relations between members of a community; non-criminal:a civil action a civil court Law relating to civil law.
2courteous and polite:they were comparatively civil to their daughter they try to work out their differences in a civil manner
3(of time) fixed by custom or law rather than being natural or astronomical:civil twilight
