civilization

[ siv-uh-luh-zey-shuhn ]

noun

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.

civilization

/ 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

Other Words From

• civi·li·zation·al adjective
• de·civi·li·zation noun
• hyper·civi·li·zation noun
• inter·civi·li·zation noun
• over·civi·li·zation noun
• postciv·i·li·zation adjective
• preciv·i·li·zation noun
• subciv·i·li·zation noun
• super·civi·li·zation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of civilization¹

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

Example Sentences

For some reason, civilization is not a self-perpetuating state of affairs on this planet.

From Science News

If so, far more movies have been made on Earth about alien civilizations than there actually are alien civilizations.

From Science News

At the core of their argument is the fact that since the first large human settlements appeared 10,000 years ago, civilization has been built on the back of our ability to extract resources from nature, be they food, energy, or materials.

From Singularity Hub 

In the Drake equation, about half the unknowns are about extraterrestrial civilizations.

From Singularity Hub 

This contained a term for how long such civilizations might exist before destroying themselves.

From Singularity Hub 

John Paul II told the European Union at the time that it was “a beacon of civilization.”

From The Daily Beast

Instead, it would return European civilization back to a period of darkness not witnessed since the Middle Ages.

From The Daily Beast

They pointed to a common claim: that at some point in distant history there was a civilization of giants.

From The Daily Beast

Crawford leads them in plunging back into the river whose waters fed the first civilization.

From The Daily Beast

This war, said Poroshenko, is a “choice between civilization and barbarism.”

From The Daily Beast

Within the past thirty years civilization has rapidly taken possession of this lovely region.

From Project Gutenberg

William has thus been happily able to report to the society the approaching conversion of M'Bongo and his imminent civilization.

From Project Gutenberg

The whole history of human civilization was denounced as an unredeemed record of the spoliation of the weak by the strong.

From Project Gutenberg

The nerves of our industrial civilization are worn thin with the rattle of its own machinery.

From Project Gutenberg

Here was a bit of a civilization of a building era, that was almost old, everything being relative.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• advancement
• development
• education
• progress