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

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

Etymology

Origin of civilization

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

Example Sentences

Few institutions embody France’s cultural inheritance as fully as the Louvre, whose galleries trace the arc of civilizations while reflecting the French state’s centuries-old role as custodian of artistic treasure.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Egypt, then in Roman hands, this meant a ban on pagan rituals and the end, in effect, of Ancient Egyptian civilization.

From The Wall Street Journal

The relationship between civilization and energy is the subject of “The Powerful Primate,” by Roland Ennos, a visiting professor of biological sciences at the University of Hull in England.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s time I stopped being so selfish. Maybe we should go back to civilization so you can have a normal life.”

From Literature

Scientists at Columbia University working with Breakthrough Listen, a research initiative focused on searching for signs of civilizations beyond Earth, have reported new findings from the Breakthrough Listen Galactic Center Survey.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• advancement
• development
• education
• progress