uncivilized

[ uhn-siv-uh-lahyzd ]

/ ʌnˈsɪv əˌlaɪzd /

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adjective

not civilized or cultured; barbarous.

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Origin of uncivilized

First recorded in 1600–10; un-¹ + civilized

OTHER WORDS FROM uncivilized

un·civ·i·liz·ed·ly

[uhn-siv-uh-lahy-zid-lee, -lahyzd-], /ʌnˈsɪv əˌlaɪ zɪd li, -ˌlaɪzd-/, adverbun·civ·i·liz·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby uncivilized

uncinus, UNCIO, uncircumcised, uncircumcision, uncivil, uncivilized, unclad, unclaimed, unclamp, unclasp, unclassical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use uncivilized in a sentence

Even if it took centuries, subject populations would “grow up,” and Britain would have to concede its sovereign claims to empire when its discerning eye judged the once “uncivilized” to be fully evolved.
Britain Can No Longer Hide Behind the Myth That Its Empire Was Benign|Caroline Elkins|April 2, 2022|Time
PREA was designed to fight back against the uncivilized nightmare we let flourish inside our prison walls.
America’s Prison System: Not Faring Well Either|James Poulos|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While we watch fires ablaze in the Middle East and judge other peoples as uncivilized, have we not lost civilization here?
Mark McKinnon: Our Overly Political Response to Mideast Crisis|Mark McKinnon|September 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I took her out for gin and tried to get her to smoke pot, but she thought all of that was uncivilized.
Roseanne Barr Hails the Comedic Genius of Phyllis Diller|Roseanne Barr|August 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It may be said that among uncivilized and barefoot people the great toe is usually very mobile.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
Is an uncivilized state of society the cause of good poetry, or only an attendant circumstance?
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
There are no uncivilized savages in this province except the Appaches, of whom I have spoken largely.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)|Elliott Coues
But what we tolerate in uncivilized lands, even where we are ostensibly rulers, we will not suffer in our own.
Ancient Faiths And Modern|Thomas Inman
Uncivilized nations often entertain the absurd notion that certain individuals can command the rain whenever they please.
The Rain Cloud|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for uncivilized

uncivilized

uncivilised

/ (ʌnˈsɪvɪˌlaɪzd) /

adjective

(of a tribe or people) not yet civilized, esp preliterate

lacking culture or sophistication

Derived forms of uncivilized

uncivilizedly or uncivilisedly (ʌnˈsɪvɪˌlaɪzɪdlɪ), adverbuncivilizedness or uncivilisedness, 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

uncivilized

Origin of uncivilized

OTHER WORDS FROM uncivilized

Words nearby uncivilized

Words related to uncivilized

How to use uncivilized in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for uncivilized

uncivilised

Derived forms of uncivilized