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Showing results for civilization. Search instead for civilizatory.
Synonyms

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.
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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.