civilization

American  

[siv-uh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌsɪv ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached.

2. those people or nations that have reached such a state.

3. any type of culture, society, etc., of a specific place, time, or group.

   Greek civilization.

4. the act or process of civilizing, as by bringing out of a savage, uneducated, or unrefined state, or of being civilized.

   Rome's civilization of barbaric tribes was admirable.

5. cultural refinement; refinement of thought and cultural appreciation.

   The letters of Madame de Sévigné reveal her wit and civilization.

6. cities or populated areas in general, as opposed to unpopulated or wilderness areas.

   The plane crashed in the jungle, hundreds of miles from civilization.

7. modern comforts and conveniences, as made possible by science and technology.

   After a week in the woods, without television or even running water, the campers looked forward to civilization again.

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civilization British  

/ ˌsɪvɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. a human society that has highly developed material and spiritual resources and a complex cultural, political, and legal organization; an advanced state in social development

2. the peoples or nations collectively who have achieved such a state

3. the total culture and way of life of a particular people, nation, region, or period

   classical civilization

4. the process of bringing or achieving civilization

5. intellectual, cultural, and moral refinement

6. cities or populated areas, as contrasted with sparsely inhabited areas, deserts, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intercivilization
  noun
• overcivilization
  noun
• decivilization
  noun
• postcivilization
  adjective
• hypercivilization
  noun
• subcivilization
  noun
• supercivilization
  noun
• civilizational
  adjective
• precivilization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of civilization

First recorded in 1765–75; from French civilisation; see civilize, -ation

Explanation

Civilization is the opposite of barbarism and chaos. Civilization is an advanced stage of human society, where people live with a reasonable degree of organization and comfort and can think about things like art and education. Civilization covers a wide range of human achievement — from the ancient Egyptians, to Mayan and Chinese civilizations, Western civilization, and everything in between. You can use the word more generally — when you're lost in the woods, you’ll be looking for signs of civilization — lights in the distance and smoke rising from chimneys. Civilization comes from Latin civis, "citizen." If you've got citizens, then you've got government and you're moving right along on the path of human advancement.

Example Sentences

Depending on who investors read, the SpaceX IPO will either end Western civilization while ruining working-class retirement funds or usher in an AI-enabled global utopia, generating trillions in profits.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

With Dataland, Refik and Erkılıç have constructed a conceptual defense against contemporary cultural anxieties, rejecting the narrative of machine versus human to reframe artificial intelligence as a mirror reflecting civilization.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

The great contribution of theology to human civilization was not, primarily, a set of metaphysical claims about the existence of God.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The researchers emphasize that the study does not predict a sudden collapse of civilization.

From Science Daily • May 27, 2026

Not because people here aren't slobs—I’m sure a lot of them are—but they’re so obsessively worried about their property values that they’d rather die than allow the detritus of civilization to sully their curb appeal.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

• advancement
• development
• education
• progress