civilized

[siv-uh-lahyzd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR civilized ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having an advanced or humane culture, society, etc.

polite; well-bred; refined.

of or relating to civilized people: The civilized world must fight ignorance.

easy to manage or control; well organized or ordered: The car is quiet and civilized, even in sharp turns.

Origin of civilized

First recorded in 1605–15; civilize + -ed²

Related formsciv·i·liz·ed·ness

[siv-uh-lahy-zid-nis, -lahyzd] /ˈsɪv əˌlaɪ zɪd nɪs, -ˌlaɪzd/, nounhalf-civ·il·ized, adjectivehy·per·civ·i·lized, adjectivenon·civ·i·lized, adjectivesub·civ·i·lized, adjectivesu·per·civ·i·lized, adjectiveul·tra·civ·i·lized, adjectivewell-civ·i·lized, adjective

civilize

[siv-uh-lahyz]

verb (used with object), civ·i·lized, civ·i·liz·ing.

to bring out of a savage, uneducated, or rude state; make civil; elevate in social and private life; enlighten; refine: Rome civilized the barbarians.

Also especially British, civ·i·lise.

Origin of civilize

1595–1605; < French civiliser; see civil, -ize

Related formsciv·i·liz·a·ble, adjectiveciv·i·liz·a·to·ry

[siv-uh-lahy-zuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˌsɪv əˈlaɪ zəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectiveciv·i·liz·er, nounde·civ·i·lize, verb (used with object), de·civ·i·lized, de·civ·i·liz·ing.non·civ·i·liz·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·civ·i·lize, verb, o·ver·civ·i·lized, o·ver·civ·i·liz·ing.un·civ·i·liz·a·ble, adjectiveun·civ·i·lize, verb (used with object), un·civ·i·lized, un·civ·i·liz·ing.

Synonyms for civilize

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR civilize ON THESAURUS.COM

educate, teach, instruct, polish, sophisticate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for civilized

educated, civil, refined, cultured, sophisticated, humane, enlightened, advanced, urbane

Examples from the Web for civilized

Contemporary Examples of civilized

The last six months have been a stark reminder of the brutality that lurks at the boundaries of civilized society.
All Aboard the USS Persecution Complex
Candida Moss, Joel Baden
October 19, 2014
A mark of the civilized person is that he in no way luxuriates in his violence.
Thank Goodness We’ve Got A Plan! Let the War Begin!
Michael Carson
September 14, 2014
In any other civilized nation this effort at some kind of summer escape would barely raise an eyebrow.
Obama’s Extravagant Summer Break? More Like, America’s Vacation-Deficit Disorder
Clive Irving
August 10, 2014
An innocent person condemned by law is perhaps the most horrifying thing a civilized society can acknowledge.
Crime Fighter’s Dilemma: My Country or My Family?
Moral Courage
April 21, 2014
When I was lying between the two soldiers I remember saying to myself, ‘This shouldn’t be happening in a civilized society.
Week in Death: The Peacemaker Priest
The Telegraph
November 24, 2013

Historical Examples of civilized

In every civilized nation the lawyers must be the law-givers.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
That is the civilized fashion; and is superfluous among savages.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
Abandon her not until you leave her in the habitations of civilized men.
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper
The Japanese are a civilizable and civilized race, and must be treated as such.
The Sexual Question
August Forel
Then shall I break upon the civilized world as a revelation.
Cleo The Magnificent
Louis Zangwill

British Dictionary definitions for civilized

civilized

civilised

adjective

having a high state of culture and social development

cultured; politea civilized discussion

civilize

civilise

verb (tr)

to bring out of savagery or barbarism into a state characteristic of civilization

to refine, educate, or enlighten

Derived Formscivilizable or civilisable, adjectivecivilizer or civiliser, noun

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

Word Origin and History for civilized

adj.

1610s, past participle adjective from civilize.

civilize

c.1600, "to bring out of barbarism," from French civiliser, verb from Old French civil (adj.), from Latin civilis "relating to a citizen, relating to public life, befitting a citizen; popular, affable, courteous" (see civil). Meaning "become civilized" is from 1868. Related: Civilized; civilizing.