civilly

comparative more civilly · superlative most civilly

1. In a civil manner; politely.

   ‘I beg your pardon, Dr. Lanyon,’ he replied civilly enough. ‘What you say is very well founded; and my impatience has shown its heels to my politeness.[…]’

   1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 101

   1 more example

   Recently, the Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Amy Coney Barrett spoke together publicly about how members of the court speak civilly to one another while disagreeing, sometimes vigorously, about the law.

   2024 April 3, Stephen Breyer, “Stephen Breyer: The Supreme Court I Served On Was Made Up of Friends”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Apr 2024

2. obsoleteIn a manner befitting a citizen.

   3 more examples

   WHERE before this Time the ancient Cities, Boroughs, Towns Corporate and Market-Towns within this Realm of England have been very populous, and chiefly inhabited with Merchants, Artificers and Handicraftſmen, during which Time the Children in the ſaid Cities, Boroughs, Towns Corporate and Market-Towns, were civilly brought up and inſtructed, and alſo the ſaid Cities, Boroughs and Towns Corporate, kept in good Order and Obeiſance, and the Inhabiters of the ſame well ſet on work, and kept from Idleneſs; […]

   1554, “An Act that Persons dwelling in the Country shall not sell divers Wares in Cities or Towns Corporate by Retail”, in The Statutes at Large, from the First Year of King Edward the Fourth to the End of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. […], volume II, London: […] Mark Basket, […] the Assigns of Robert Basket; […] Henry Woodfall and William Strahan, […], published 1763, →OCLC, page 472

   The people inhabit ſcatteringly here and there, in Dennes or Caverns (rather than Houſes) of Boughes and Leaves of Palme-trees. And becauſe this manner of living ſo diſperſedly, is the cauſe that theſe people remaine in their former ſavageneſſe of mind, and crueltie of life: and withall, inſomuch as it importeth infinite difficulties, to the preaching of the Goſpel, and Civill Government; the Portugals, and the Fathers of the Societie, uſe their beſt endeavours, to reduce them together, in certaine fit and convenient places; where living civilly, they may with the more facilitie be inſtructed by thoſe Fathers in the Rules of Faith, and governed by the Kings Officers. There may alſo be reduced to this Head, thoſe Cities, which have beene builded by Power, and inhabited by the authoritie of great Princes, or famous Common-wealths: […]

   1635, Iohn Botero [i.e., Giovanni Botero], translated by T[homas] H[awkins], “Of Authoritie”, in The Cause of the Greatnesse of Cities. […], London: […] E[lizabeth] P[urslowe] for Henry Seile, […], →OCLC, pages 4–5

   Shee was well borne, and civilly brought up; her ruine was her being unequally Married: not that her Husband was not of good eſteeme amongſt the Citizens, and according to his quality well to live: but for that ſhee being of riper Yeares then hee, the love which uſeth to be betweene equalls was not betweene them; […]

   1646, Francis Biondi [i.e., Giovanni Francesco Biondi], translated by Henry [Carey, 2nd] Earle of Monmouth, “The Seventh Book of the Civill Warres of England in the Life of Edward the Fift”, in The Second Part of the History of the Civill Warres of England between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke. […], volume II, London: […] E. G. for Richard Whitaker, […], →OCLC, page 101