be civil

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In some cases, reconciliation might be partial - being able to go to the same family functions and be civil, for example.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

He tries to be civil, but he’s organically obnoxious.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

The church takes pains to keep its official positions apolitical, and last weekend, one of its senior leaders, Dallin H. Oaks, encouraged members to be civil ahead of the November election.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2024

Clark is also arguing that the case should be civil because it was initially handled by a special-purpose grand jury.

From Salon • Aug. 23, 2023

“I feel—so, so terrible, Em. It was supposed to be civil disobedience. Like we talked about in Human Rights Club.”

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead