civil disobedience Hear it!

civil disobedience Definition

civil disobedience

noun

nonviolent opposition to a government policy or law by refusing to comply with it, on the grounds of conscience

civil disobedience Law Definition

n

The deliberate, public, and usually nonviolent breaking of a law in order to call attention to the unfairness or undesirability of a statute (usually the one that is broken) or some governmental policy, and to influence public opinion concerning the same.

civil disobedience Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • include: We will use and build on existing strategies, including civil disobedience, to resist globalization and to assert our rights.
  • practice: To practice civil disobedience is not a choice to be made lightly.
  • advocate: Showing unusual courage, he made speeches advocating civil disobedience in opposition to the United States ' war effort in Vietnam.
  • involve: And on the third day a mass rally, involving civil disobedience, at the Embassy - nine arrested.
  • commit: But when and how is it right to commit civil disobedience?
  • organize: Join the act of mass civil disobedience organized by Voices in the Wilderness on Monday August 7th.

Adjective modifier

  • non-violent: For men like Currie the party's rejection of his call for a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience had been a grave error.
  • mass: In London, several days of protests will see a range of actions from mass civil disobedience to street parties.
  • electronic: In an attempt to put the theory of electronic civil disobedience into practice he moved to New York City in 1991.
  • peaceful: More importantly, however, this protest was intended as peaceful civil disobedience and, as such, was a success.
  • massive: However if this fails and development is approved for this nationally listed site, massive civil disobedience can be expected.
  • nonviolent: At some sites there will be acts of nonviolent civil disobedience.