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civil disobedience
noun
: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government
Examples of civil disobedience in a Sentence
In an act of civil disobedience, the family sent its tax money to an antiwar organization.
A student organization is encouraging civil disobedience as a way to get the university to change its policies.
Recent Examples on the Web
In Montgomery Alabama, a stand alone prison camp that is usually pretty laid back, prisoners decided on a bit of civil disobedience and opted to skip eating in the dining hall.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Acts of digital civil disobedience are increasingly being targeted and prosecuted not as protest but as terrorism.
—Taylor Owen, Foreign Affairs, 25 May 2015
What’s more, while some young people are worried that acts of civil disobedience might hinder their chances of getting a job down the line, that’s not a concern for people who are retired.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024
Those protests would culminate in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for civil disobedience
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Word History
First Known Use
1866, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of civil disobedience was
in 1866
Dictionary Entries Near civil disobedience
Cite this Entry
“Civil disobedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20disobedience. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Legal Definition
civil disobedience
noun
civil dis·obe·di·ence
: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government
More from Merriam-Webster on civil disobedience
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for civil disobedience
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about civil disobedience
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