SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
uncivil
adjective
Rude or lacking the courtesy expected in social interaction.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Lacking courtesy
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topUncivil criticizes a lack of ordinary courtesy. Blunt can be appropriate directness, while insolent implies more open disrespect.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See uncivil in use
An uncivil interruption prevented the visitor from finishing her explanation.
In a shared office kitchen, one tenant behaved in a boorish way, talking loudly over introductions and mocking another person's lunch. His uncivil reply to a polite request made the exchange more uncomfortable: he told the speaker to stop wasting his time.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license