incivism

incivism

A citizen demonstrates incivism by littering in a public park.

Definition

Noun - Lack of civic duty: "incivism" refers to a deficiency in the sense of responsibility or loyalty that a citizen owes to their state or community. - Lack of patriotism (American English): In a narrower sense, "incivism" denotes a lack of patriotic spirit or devotion to one's country.

Usage Examples
  • (A lack of civic responsibility.)
  • (A lack of patriotism or loyalty to the nation.)
  • (A deliberate neglect of civic duties.)
Advanced Usage
  • "to accuse someone of incivism": to formally charge or blame a person for failing in their civic obligations.

    • The mayor accused the wealthy businessman of incivism for not contributing to community projects. (To publicly criticize for lack of community involvement.)
  • "incivism as a political charge": Historically, "incivism" was used during the French Revolution to label those suspected of disloyalty to the revolutionary state.

    • Many aristocrats were executed on charges of incivism. (Accused of being insufficiently patriotic.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Civism (n): the quality of being a good citizen; active involvement in civic affairs. (Opposite of incivism.)

    • Her civism was praised when she organized the neighborhood clean-up. (Demonstrated good citizenship.)
  • Civic (adj): relating to a city or citizenship.

    • Civic duties include voting and paying taxes. (Duties of a citizen.)
Synonyms
  • Uncivic behavior: conduct that disregards the responsibilities of a citizen.
  • Disloyalty: lack of allegiance or faithfulness to one's country or community.
  • Antipatriotism: opposition or indifference to one's country.
Related Idioms
  • To be a bad citizen: to fail in fulfilling one's civic duties.

    • He was considered a bad citizen because he never voted or volunteered. (He demonstrated incivism.)
  • To shirk one's civic duty: to avoid or neglect responsibilities as a citizen.

    • Shirking one's civic duty is a form of incivism. (Deliberately avoiding obligations.)