civilized
Americanadjective
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having an advanced or humane culture, society, etc.
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polite; well-bred; refined.
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of or relating to civilized people.
The civilized world must fight ignorance.
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easy to manage or control; well organized or ordered.
The car is quiet and civilized, even in sharp turns.
adjective
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having a high state of culture and social development
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cultured; polite
a civilized discussion
Other Word Forms
- civilizedness noun
- half-civilized adjective
- hypercivilized adjective
- noncivilized adjective
- subcivilized adjective
- supercivilized adjective
- ultracivilized adjective
- well-civilized adjective
Etymology
Origin of civilized
Explanation
Someone who is cultured and polite — who knows to put his dinner napkin on his lap — is civilized. So could you please behave in a civilized manner and get your feet off the dinner table? Civilized is an adjective that describes the very opposite of barbarity. A civilized person is polite and courteous; he knows how to say "please" and "thank you." A civilized group of people is characterized by being socially and technologically advanced. Both dinner parties and fancy computer gadgets are signs of a civilized people. That friend of yours who likes to show people how he can belch the entire alphabet? Maybe not.
Vocabulary lists containing civilized
Excerpt from "Flipped"
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Copper Sun
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Absolutely Normal Chaos
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said External link “taxes are what we pay for civilized society,” suggesting we get what we pay for.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
“She was such a civilized, cultural person,” Stasevska says of her grandmother, adding that she taught her grandkids everything she knew about her home country.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
They settled on House No. 2, which also appeared civilized but in a less unsavory location.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
Though a fork and knife make one feel civilized while digging into the roast, this ruby glass of Rioja Alta doesn’t hurt.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025
But, come to think of it, the owl, who was not civilized, was pretty warlike too.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
