civil rights
plural noun (often initial capital letters)
rights to personal liberty established by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and certain Congressional acts, especially as applied to an individual or a minority group.
the rights to full legal, social, and economic equality extended to blacks.
Origin of civil rights
First recorded in 1715–25
OTHER WORDS FROM civil rights
civ·il-rights, adjectiveWords nearby civil rights
Example sentences from the Web for civil rights
British Dictionary definitions for civil rights
civil rights
pl n
the personal rights of the individual citizen, in most countries upheld by law, as in the US
(modifier)
of, relating to, or promoting equality in social, economic, and political rights
Cultural definitions for civil rights
civil rights
A broad range of privileges and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and subsequent amendments and laws that guarantee fundamental freedoms to all individuals. These freedoms include the rights of free expression and action (civil liberties); the right to enter into contracts, own property, and initiate lawsuits; the rights of due process and equal protection of the laws; opportunities in education and work; the freedom to live, travel, and use public facilities wherever one chooses; and the right to participate in the democratic political system.
notes for civil rights
Efforts to redress the situation of inequality, such as the
civil rights movement and the
women's movement, have resulted in legislation such as the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, in
affirmative action, and in the creation of the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.