CIVIL

(LAW) [adjective] [before noun; not gradable] legal - relating to private arguments between people or organizations rather than criminal mattersThe matter would be better dealt with in the civil court rather than by an expensive criminal proceeding. [before noun]A civil action is an official complaint made by a person or company in a law court against someone who is said to done something to harm them, and which is dealt with by a judge.She brought a civil action against her former employer.Civil law is the part of law which relates to people's private matters, for example marriage and property, rather than criminal matters.