Meanings
nouncivil disobedience (uncountable)
- uncountableA form of social protest, involving the active but non-violent refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of an established authority, because they are considered to be morally wrong or detrimental.
We now had no alternative but to resort to civil disobedience, and we embarked in earnest on preparations for mass action.
1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 146
Translations
Arabic عِصْيان مَدَنيّ
- عِصْيان مَدَنيّactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Catalan desobediència civil
- desobediència civilactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Chinese Cantonese 公民不服從 /公民不服从
- 公民不服從 /公民不服从 (gung¹ man⁴ bat¹ fuk⁶ cung⁴)active and non-violent refusal to obey
Chinese Mandarin 公民不服從 /公民不服从
- 公民不服從 /公民不服从 (gōngmín bùfúcóng)active and non-violent refusal to obey
Czech občanská neposlušnost
- občanská neposlušnostactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Danish civil ulydighed
- civil ulydighedactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Dutch burgerlijke ongehoorzaamheid
- burgerlijke ongehoorzaamheidactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Finnish kansalaistottelemattomuus
- kansalaistottelemattomuusactive and non-violent refusal to obey
French désobéissance civile
- désobéissance civileactive and non-violent refusal to obey
German ziviler Ungehorsam
- ziviler Ungehorsamactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Greek πολιτική ανυπακοή
- πολιτική ανυπακοή (politikí anypakoḯ)active and non-violent refusal to obey
Hungarian polgári engedetlenség
- polgári engedetlenségactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Icelandic borgaraleg óhlýðni
- borgaraleg óhlýðniactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Indonesian pembangkangan sipil
- pembangkangan sipilactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Irish easumhlaíocht shibhialta
- easumhlaíocht shibhialtaactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Italian disobbedienza civile
- disobbedienza civileactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Japanese 市民的不服従
- 市民的不服従 (shiminteki fufukujū)active and non-violent refusal to obey
Korean 시민 불복종
- 시민 불복종 (simin bulbokjong)active and non-violent refusal to obey
Norwegian sivil ulydighet
- sivil ulydighetactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Polish obywatelskie nieposłuszeństwo
- obywatelskie nieposłuszeństwoactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Portuguese desobediência civil
- desobediência civilactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Russian гражда́нское неповинове́ние
- гражда́нское неповинове́ние (graždánskoje nepovinovénije)active and non-violent refusal to obey
Scottish Gaelic eas-umhlachd chatharra
- eas-umhlachd chatharraactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Spanish desobediencia civil
- desobediencia civilactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Swedish civil olydnad
- civil olydnadactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Thai อารยะขัดขืน, การขัดขืนอย่างสงบ
- อารยะขัดขืน (aa-rá-yá-kàt-kʉ̌ʉn)active and non-violent refusal to obey
- การขัดขืนอย่างสงบactive and non-violent refusal to obey
- การดื้อแพ่งactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Ukrainian громадя́нська непоко́ра
- громадя́нська непоко́ра (hromadjánsʹka nepokóra)active and non-violent refusal to obey
Welsh anufudd-dod sifil
- anufudd-dod sifilactive and non-violent refusal to obey
Cite this entry
APA
civil disobedience. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/civil%20disobedience
MLA
“civil disobedience.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/civil%20disobedience. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “civil disobedience,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/civil%20disobedience.
Source: civil disobedience on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.