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civil discourse

civil discourse

6 4.4
Polite, respectful discussion about political or controversial topics
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪvəl ˈdɪskɔrs/
translation icon : discurso civil
  • While varying viewpoints are welcome, comments are moderated to ensure a respectful and civil discourse.
  • promote civil discourse
  • civil discourse and respect
  • more civil discourse

The language calls for moral imagination and social healing and civil discourse.

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Examples

  • I think atheism might have a valuable voice to lend to civil discourse in our society.

    Blog text (16)
  • We get so much out of coming here and having civil discourse.

    Blog text (15)
  • Words do matter, and some civil discourse would be a welcome change.

    Blog text (19)
  • I value civil discourse so much, but it's hard to find these days.

    Blog text (31)
  • I'm fine with your assessment of the situation, which is civil discourse about a serious issue.

    Blog text (31)
  • Yeah, trying to steer the country back to civil discourse is a bit more complicated than that.

    Blog text (5)
  • And I agree, the Internet is not usually the place to go if you're looking for civil discourse.

    Blog text (8)
  • You're proving my point about civil discourse for me.

    Blog text (31)
  • We will continue to protect free speech to ensure all voices may be heard and to promote a civil discourse where educational growth is the desired result.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The community organized a forum to encourage civil discourse about the upcoming election.

Synonyms

conversation
vscivil discourse
1.0

A talk between two or more people to share news and ideas

is focused on polite respectful exchange rather than casual informal talk
discussion
vscivil discourse
1.4

A conversation where people share ideas and opinions to decide or understand

is focused on polite respectful exchange rather than decision making
discourse
vscivil discourse
  • Formal
122 6.4

Speech or writing about a topic

is focused on polite respectful exchanges rather than formal extended debate

Antonyms

194 4.6

Showing strong dislike or opposition

9 6.0

Not polite and rude to other people

How Civil

civil discourse
6 4.4
discussion
1.4
debate
  • Formal
2.0
argument
617 2.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

civil + discourse

The meaning 'polite and respectful conversation' is directly and compositionally derived from 'civil' (courteous) modifying 'discourse' (formal communication). This adjective+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Civil discourse may come from the image of citizens talking together in a town meeting: civil meaning people or citizens and discourse meaning formal talk. So it now means 'polite and respectful conversation', especially about difficult or political topics.