civilization

American  

[siv-uh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌsɪv ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

civilizations plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• civilizations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of civilization

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

Explanation

Civilization is the opposite of barbarism and chaos. Civilization is an advanced stage of human society, where people live with a reasonable degree of organization and comfort and can think about things like art and education. Civilization covers a wide range of human achievement — from the ancient Egyptians, to Mayan and Chinese civilizations, Western civilization, and everything in between. You can use the word more generally — when you're lost in the woods, you’ll be looking for signs of civilization — lights in the distance and smoke rising from chimneys. Civilization comes from Latin civis, "citizen." If you've got citizens, then you've got government and you're moving right along on the path of human advancement.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

civilization civilizations

Now lifestyles have become comparable to those in temperate zones, and civilization in the tropical zones need no longer lag behind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

And they developed an alphabet that evolved into the Roman letters used throughout Western civilization today.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Nolan floats a convincing psychological reason why this Odysseus subconsciously believes his duplicitous actions during the war deserve permanent exile from civilization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

If an extraterrestrial civilization happened to transmit within those same frequencies, detecting it would likely require a radio telescope located somewhere free from Earth's radio noise, such as the far side of the Moon.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Millions of years ago, he said, rats seemed to be ahead of all the other animals, seemed to be making a civilization of their own.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

In ancient civilizations as in ours, it was status made manifest.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

In fact, he concluded, the two civilizations are “so radically different, they’re irreconcilable.”

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026

Thousands of years ago, in the earliest known civilizations, royals adorned themselves in gold to signify status.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

"Great civilizations outlast even the most vicious occupiers."

From Barron's ● Mar. 28, 2026

Perhaps among the contents of the Encyclopaedia Galactica will be a set of summaries of such civilizations, the information enigmatic, tantalizing, evocative—even after we succeed in translating it.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• advancement
• development
• education
• progress