incivility

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English

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Etymology

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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.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɪnsɪˈvɪlɪti/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: in‧ci‧vil‧i‧ty

Noun

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incivility (countable and uncountable, plural incivilities)

  1. (uncountable) The state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner.
    Synonym: impoliteness
    • c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
      Courtezan. How say you now? is not your husband mad? / Adriana. His incivility confirms no less.
    • 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,[1]
      Beat on proud Billows, Boreas blow,
      Swell curled Waves, high as Jove’s roof,
      Your incivility doth show,
      That Innocence is tempest proof.
    • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XXXI, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
      Little did Mr. Willoughby imagine, I suppose, when his looks censured me for incivility in breaking up the party, that I was called away to the relief of one whom he had made poor and miserable […]
    • 1927 May, Virginia Woolf, chapter 1, in To the Lighthouse (Uniform Edition of the Works of Virginia Woolf), new edition, London: Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, […], published 1930, →OCLC, part I (The Window), page 15:
      [S]he could not bear incivility to her guests, to young men in particular, […]
  2. (countable) Any act of rudeness or ill-breeding.
    • 1626, Ovid, “(please specify the page)”, in George Sandys, transl., Ovid’s Metamorphosis Englished […], London: […] William Stansby, →OCLC:
      Latona, in her flight from Juno, is churlishly intreated by the Lycian pesants, and denied the publique benefit of water: for which incivility these bawling Clownes are changed into croaking froggs, and confined unto that Lake for ever.
    • a. 1639 (date written), Henry Wotton, “[Letters, &c. and Characters of Sundry Personages, […].] My Deare Nic. Pey.”, in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ. Or, A Collection of Lives, Letters, Poems; […], London: […] Thomas Maxey, for R[ichard] Marriot, G[abriel] Bedel, and T[imothy] Garthwait, published 1651, →OCLC, page 507:
      In truth, vve thought it (coming immediately from an infected place) an hazardous incivilitie, to put our ſelves upon them; for if any ſiniſter accident had fallen out about the ſame time (for Coincidents are not alvvaies Cauſes) vve ſhould have rued it for ever.
    • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter IV”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume I, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson;  […], →OCLC, page 26:
      Mr. Lovelace, for three days together, sent twice each day to inquire after my brother’s health; and, altho’ he received rude, and even shocking returns, he thought fit, on the fourth day, to make in person the fame inquiries; and received still greater incivilities from my two uncles, who happen’d to be both there.
    • 1889, Sabine Baring-Gould, “A Face in the Dark” in Pennycomequicks, London: Spencer, Blackett & Hallam, Volume II, p. 54:[2]
      When my poor Sidebottom was alive, if there had been any unpleasantness between us during the day [...] I have shaken him at night to wake him up, that he might receive my pardon for an incivility said or done.
  3. (uncountable) Lack of civilization; a state of rudeness or barbarism.
    • 1781, [Mostyn John Armstrong], History and Antiquities of the County of Norfolk. Volume IX. Containing the Hundreds of Smithdon, Taverham, Tunstead, Walsham, and Wayland, volume IX, Norwich: Printed by J. Crouse, for M. Booth, bookseller, →OCLC, page 51:
      BEAT on, proud billows; Boreas blow; / Swell, curled waves, high as Jove's roof; / Your incivility doth ſhow, / That innocence is tempeſt proof; / Though ſurly Nereus frown, my thoughts are calm; / Then ſtrike, Affliction, for thy wounds are balm. [Attributed to Roger L'Estrange (1616–1704).]
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Translations

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See also

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References

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