civil death

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Word: Civil Death

Definition:
"Civil death" is a term used in law to describe a situation where a person is still alive but has lost all their civil rights. This means they cannot participate in society like a normal citizen. It often happens to people who are sentenced to life imprisonment, where they are not allowed to vote, own property, or participate in legal matters.

Usage Instructions:

• "Civil death" is a noun and is typically used in legal discussions or contexts.
• It is not commonly used in everyday conversation but might appear in discussions about law, rights, or criminal justice.

Example:

• After being sentenced to life in prison, John experienced civil death, meaning he could no longer vote or manage his finances.

Advanced Usage:

In legal contexts, "civil death" may also refer to situations where individuals are declared legally dead for the purposes of law (e.g., missing persons in certain cases), even though they are physically alive.

Word Variants:

• Civilly Dead (adjective): Referring to a person who has lost their civil rights.
  • Example: "The civilly dead individual could not inherit property from their family."

Different Meanings:

• In a broader context, "civil death" can refer to any situation where a person's rights are stripped away, not just in the legal sense but metaphorically, such as when someone is ostracized from society.

Synonyms:

• Civil Disability: This term can be used interchangeably to describe the loss of civil rights.
• Legal Death: This might refer to a situation where someone's legal rights are completely revoked.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

There aren't any specific idioms or phrasal verbs that directly correlate with "civil death," but you might hear phrases related to loss of rights, such as "stripped of rights" or "deprived of privileges."

Summary:

"Civil death" is a legal term that explains a situation where a living person has lost all rights and privileges of citizenship, often seen in cases of life imprisonment.

Academic

Noun

1. cancellation of civil rights
2. the legal status of a person who is alive but who has been deprived of the rights and privileges of a citizen or a member of society; the legal status of one sentenced to life imprisonment

Synonyms

• attainder