civilized
Americanadjective
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having an advanced or humane culture, society, etc.
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polite; well-bred; refined.
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of or relating to civilized people.
The civilized world must fight ignorance.
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easy to manage or control; well organized or ordered.
The car is quiet and civilized, even in sharp turns.
adjective
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having a high state of culture and social development
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cultured; polite
a civilized discussion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of civilized
Explanation
Someone who is cultured and polite — who knows to put his dinner napkin on his lap — is civilized. So could you please behave in a civilized manner and get your feet off the dinner table? Civilized is an adjective that describes the very opposite of barbarity. A civilized person is polite and courteous; he knows how to say "please" and "thank you." A civilized group of people is characterized by being socially and technologically advanced. Both dinner parties and fancy computer gadgets are signs of a civilized people. That friend of yours who likes to show people how he can belch the entire alphabet? Maybe not.
Vocabulary lists containing civilized
Excerpt from "Flipped"
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Copper Sun
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Absolutely Normal Chaos
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world," Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said in a statement, thanking US judicial authorities for "their assistance and protection of our citizens."
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The invitation is an insult to the civilized world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
“There used to be a pillory in every civilized town,” Pattinson’s Hansen remarks about the state of justice.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
This is a civilized world we live in now.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Near East became the cradle of civilization: to be civilized, after all, means to live as a citizen, a town dweller.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
