uncivilized

[uhn-siv-uh-lahyzd]

adjective

1. not civilized civilized or cultured; barbarous.

uncivilized

/ ʌnˈsɪvɪˌlaɪzɪdlɪ, ʌnˈsɪvɪˌlaɪzd /

adjective

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

2. lacking culture or sophistication

Other Word Forms

• uncivilizedly adverb
• uncivilizedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncivilized¹

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

Example Sentences

“It is pleasant here, but there is no bench. Would it be perfectly uncivilized of us to sit upon the ground?”

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“Who on earth is this dirty, uncouth, and uncivilized creature?” she demanded.

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Masked men grabbing anyone and everyone in the fashion of paramilitary squads from countries we deem uncivilized.

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Attempting to construe the uncivilized and norms-busting battle that Democrats found themselves in, Garcia likened the politics of Trump's second term to a "bar fight."

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Some may find that idea revolting, a belief often, if unknowingly, steeped in colonialism and the notion that eating insects is "uncivilized."

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Related Words

• barbaric 
• barbarous 
• boorish 
• churlish 
• disrespectful 
• impolite 
• rude 
• unconscionable 
• vulgar