Definition

1. Noun:
   • A form of nonviolent protest: The deliberate, public refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of a government or occupying power, typically on moral or political grounds. It is a symbolic, conscientious act intended to highlight injustice and bring about change.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The activists practiced civil disobedience by sitting in the street and blocking traffic.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. championed civil disobedience as a powerful tool in the fight for civil rights.
  • Thoreau wrote a famous essay justifying civil disobedience.

Advanced Usage

• As a mass noun: The term is typically used as an uncountable (mass) noun, referring to the concept or practice itself.
  • The movement was founded on the principle of civil disobedience.
• In historical/political context: Often used to describe organized, principled resistance.
  • The campaign of civil disobedience led to the repeal of the unjust law.

Variants and Related Words

• Civil disobedient (noun, rare): A person who engages in civil disobedience.
• Nonviolent resistance (noun phrase): A broader category of protest that includes civil disobedience.

Synonyms

• Nonviolent protest
• Passive resistance
• Conscientious objection (specifically to laws on military service)

Related Phrases

• Practice civil disobedience: To engage in acts of civil disobedience.
  • The group decided to practice civil disobedience by refusing to pay the tax.
• Campaign of civil disobedience: A sustained, organized series of such acts.
  • They launched a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience.

Related Idioms/Concepts

• To break an unjust law: A core idea within the philosophy of civil disobedience, as expressed by Martin Luther King Jr.
  • "One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."

Noun

1. a group's refusal to obey a law because they believe the law is immoral (as in protest against discrimination)
   • Thoreau wrote a famous essay justifying civil disobedience