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View synonyms for community

community

[ kuh-myoo-ni-tee ]

noun

, plural com·mu·ni·ties.
  1. a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
  2. a locality inhabited by such a group.
  3. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists: the community of scholars;

    the business community;

    the community of scholars;

    diversity within a college community;

    London's Jewish and Muslim communities.

  4. a group of associated nations sharing common interests or a common heritage:

    the community of Western Europe.

  5. Ecclesiastical. a group of men or women leading a common life according to a rule.
  6. Ecology. an assemblage of interacting populations occupying a given area.
  7. joint possession, enjoyment, liability, etc.:

    community of property.

  8. community of interests.

    Synonyms: likeness, correspondence

  9. the community, the public; society:

    the needs of the community.



community

/ kəˈmjuːnɪtɪ /

noun

    1. the people living in one locality
    2. the locality in which they live
    3. ( as modifier )

      community spirit

  1. a group of people having cultural, religious, ethnic, or other characteristics in common

    the Protestant community

  2. a group of nations having certain interests in common
  3. the public in general; society
  4. common ownership or participation
  5. similarity or agreement

    community of interests

  6. (in Wales since 1974 and Scotland since 1975) the smallest unit of local government; a subdivision of a district
  7. ecology a group of interdependent plants and animals inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other through food and other relationships
“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

community

/ kə-myo̅o̅nĭ-tē /

  1. A group of organisms or populations living and interacting with one another in a particular environment. The organisms in a community affect each other's abundance, distribution, and evolutionary adaptation. Depending on how broadly one views the interaction between organisms, a community can be small and local, as in a pond or tree, or regional or global, as in a biome.
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Other Words From

  • com·muni·tal adjective
  • procom·munity adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of community1

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin commūnitās, equivalent to commūni(s) “common” + -tās noun suffix; replacing Middle English comunete, from Middle French, from Latin as above; common, -ty 2;
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Word History and Origins

Origin of community1

C14: from Latin commūnitās, from commūnis common
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Synonym Study

Community, hamlet, village, town, city are terms for groups of people living in somewhat close association, and usually under common rules. Community is a general term, and town is often loosely applied. A commonly accepted set of connotations envisages hamlet as a small group, village as a somewhat larger one, town still larger, and city as very large. Size is, however, not the true basis of differentiation, but properly sets off only hamlet. Incorporation, or the absence of it, and the type of government determine the classification of the others.
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Example Sentences

However, local leaders still need to invest their time and money in community health where disparities can be better addressed through personalized care and customized community programs.

Stoeppler believes that mobilizing this traditional knowledge will benefit his community's economy and the environment.

“I hope and pray for the day when we no longer have to share these tragic stories of fentanyl devastating our communities,” Placer County Dist.

Moreover, whales embody immense cultural value to many peoples, often as protectors of community and the reincarnated spirits of deceased ancestors.

From Salon

"It's really good for train-building, it's really good for the country but, on a human level, it's so important for them, their families, the whole communities here that depend on those jobs."

From BBC

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More About Community

What is a community?

A community is a social group whose members have something in common, such as a shared government, geographic location, culture, or heritage.

Community can also refer to the physical location where such a group lives. It can refer to a town, city, village, or other area with a formal government whose residents share a nationality or culture, as in A group of town citizens decided to clean up the litter in their community. 

Community can also refer to the people who live in this area, as in Filipe was able to raise money for the city’s homeless shelter with help from the community. 

More generally, community can refer to a group that shares some trait or quality that separates it from the wider population as in Tracy was excited to find that the Muslim community in her city often held free talks on being a Muslim American. 

Example: Ria entered politics to help improve the lives of the people in her community. 

Where does community come from?

The first records of the word community comes from around 1325. It comes from the Latin commūnitās, meaning “joint possession or use.” A community has something in common, such as a geographic location or a shared culture.

In terms of a specific location, community is a more general term than words like burrough, village, or city. When you refer to the community you live in, you could mean something as small as your neighborhood or as large as a metropolitan area.

The sense of community that refers to a group of people with shared traits or qualities is frequently used when people talk about demographics. You have probably heard of polls or studies of “the Hispanic community” or “the Christian community,” for example. You’ll find this usage in academics, politics, business, and similar fields.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to community?

  • communital (adjective)
  • procomunity (adjective)

What are some synonyms for community?

What are some words that share a root or word element with community

What are some words that often get used in discussing community?

How is community used in real life?

The word community is common and is often used to refer to groups of people or the places where they live.

Try using community!

Is community used correctly in the following sentence?

The charity group raised money to help local communities impacted by hurricanes.

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