noun · neutral
civil liberties
UK/ˈsɪvəl ˈlɪbətiz/US/ˈsɪvəl ˈlɪbərtiz/CIV·il LIB·er·ties
Band 5-6speakingtask2
basic freedoms and rights that protect individuals from government interference
Examples
“The government must protect civil liberties even during times of crisis.”
“New laws were criticised for restricting civil liberties.”
“Activists campaigned to defend civil liberties across the country.”
Band 8 sentence
“Protecting civil liberties is essential, even when governments face security challenges.”
Collocations
- protect civil liberties
- restrict civil liberties
- violate civil liberties
Word family
liberty nounliberal adjectivecivil adjective
Common mistakes
human liberties→civil liberties
liberties civil→civil liberties
Say it for a higher band
5human liberties→6civil right→7+civil liberties
Synonyms
civil rights
Easily confused
civil rights
“Civil rights laws are intended to prevent discrimination in employment.”
Related words
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In Society & Government
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