collocation · neutral

civil unrest

/ˈsɪv.əl ʌnˈrest/CIV·il un·REST

Band 6-7speakingtask2

A state of public disorder such as protests, strikes, or riots in which social peace is disturbed.

Examples

After the disputed election, civil unrest spread to the capital.

High unemployment and inequality can trigger civil unrest.

The government deployed extra police to control civil unrest in the region.

Band 8 sentence

Long-term neglect of certain regions and ethnic groups can lead to civil unrest if grievances remain unaddressed.

Collocations

  • spark civil unrest
  • control civil unrest

Word family

civil adjectiveunrest noun

Common mistakes

civil riotcivil unrest

public unrestcivil unrest

Say it for a higher band

5public unrest6social unrest7+civil unrest

Synonyms

social unrest

Easily confused

civil war

Decades of civil war devastated the country's infrastructure.

social unrest

Social unrest increased after the cuts to public services.

Related words

Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.

In Society & Government

Learn it with its set