civilization
gb/sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/ us/sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 8800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
state
1
advanced organized human society
Human life when people live together in big, organized groups with cities, laws, and a rich culture.
Usage pattern:
[adjective] civilization
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "civilization" with "culture." "Civilization" usually refers to the large, organized system of human life (cities, laws, technology), while "culture" is more about ideas, art, beliefs, and ways of living inside a group. Another common mistake is treating this sense as countable ("many civilizations") when talking about humanity as a whole; in this meaning it is normally uncountable ("human civilization").
Synonyms
society (Broader and more general; can refer to any organized group of people, not necessarily at an advanced stage of development.)
|
humanity (Refers to human beings as a whole; less focused on organization and culture than "civilization".)
Antonyms
barbarism (Suggests the absence of ordered, refined social life and cultural development associated with civilization.)
|
savagery (Emphasizes violent, uncultured, or extremely primitive conditions opposed to civilized life.)
Collocations
human civilization
|modern civilization
|advanced civilization
|complex civilization
|rise of civilization
|collapse of civilization
Themes
society
|history
|culture
|core_vocabulary
|education
Examples
- Climate change poses a serious threat to human civilization.
- Some scientists believe that our civilization has reached a critical turning point.
- The invention of writing was a key step in the development of civilization.
- They argued that technology has transformed every aspect of modern civilization.
- The documentary explores how civilization might evolve over the next thousand years.
Learner examples
- Many people think science is very important for modern civilization.
- Some writers worry that war could destroy our civilization.
- Reading and writing are important parts of civilization.
- Civilization allows people to live in big cities.
- Machines and computers have changed our civilization.
Noun
B2
entity
2
a particular advanced society
A special group of people in history or in the world that has cities, laws, and its own culture, like the Roman or Mayan civilization.
Usage pattern:
the [adjective] civilization of [place/time]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget that this meaning is countable: you can say "many civilizations" or "several ancient civilizations." They may also overuse capitals ("Roman Civilization") when it is usually written with a lowercase "c" unless part of a specific proper name in a title.
Synonyms
culture (Can refer to the beliefs and practices of a group, but does not always imply the full, complex social structure that "civilization" suggests.)
|
society (General term for people living together; may be smaller or less historically distinct than a "civilization.")
Antonyms
tribe (In older or traditional usage, sometimes contrasted with "civilization" as a smaller, less complex social group, though this contrast can be outdated or biased.)
|
barbarian society (Historical term used to describe groups viewed (often unfairly) as lacking the order and refinement of established civilizations.)
Collocations
ancient civilization
|Western civilization
|Roman civilization
|Mayan civilization
|Egyptian civilization
|lost civilization
Themes
history
|culture
|geography
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The ancient Egyptian civilization flourished along the Nile River.
- Archaeologists discovered new clues about a lost civilization buried under the jungle.
- Students are learning how the Mayan civilization measured time and built their temples.
- The course compares the rise and fall of different ancient civilizations.
- Greek civilization had a huge influence on later European history.
Learner examples
- The Roman civilization built many roads and bridges.
- We studied the Chinese civilization in history class.
- The Mayan civilization had a special calendar.
- Many ancient civilizations lived near big rivers.
- This book tells the story of an old civilization that disappeared.
Noun
B2
state
3
polite behavior and comforts
Polite ways of acting and the comfortable things in life, like hot showers and clean houses, especially when you compare them to life in the wild or in very hard conditions.
Usage pattern:
bring [some] civilization to [a place/situation]
Common mistake:
Learners may misunderstand this sense as only about culture or history. In this meaning, the word often refers to everyday comforts (electricity, hot water, shops) and polite behavior, especially when you compare them with life in wild or very simple places.
Synonyms
refinement (Focuses more on elegance and good taste; less on physical comforts such as hot water or electricity.)
|
the comforts of home (Highlights physical and emotional comfort, usually in a home setting, not necessarily broader social order.)
Antonyms
roughing it (Informal phrase meaning to live without normal comforts, the opposite of enjoying the comforts of civilization.)
|
the wilderness (Refers to wild, undeveloped nature, away from the ordered and comfortable life of civilization.)
Collocations
the comforts of civilization
|a touch of civilization
|signs of civilization
|return to civilization
|far from civilization
Themes
daily life
|manners
|lifestyle
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- After two weeks in the mountains, they were happy to return to civilization and take a hot shower.
- The small café felt like a touch of civilization in the middle of the desert highway.
- He missed the basic comforts of civilization, like clean water and electricity.
- From the campsite, the nearest sign of civilization was a gas station fifty miles away.
Learner examples
- After camping for many days, she was glad to go back to civilization.
- There were no houses, no shops, no signs of civilization anywhere.
- A hot bath is one of the nice things about civilization.
- The village was very far from civilization.
- He wanted to escape civilization and live in the forest for a while.
Noun
formal
C1
event
4
process of becoming civilized
The process when a group or place slowly changes and becomes more like an organized state, with cities, laws, and written rules, usually over a long time.
Usage pattern:
the civilization of [a people/region]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that this meaning is often used in formal or academic writing and can carry political or moral judgments, especially in older texts about colonial history.
Synonyms
development (More general and neutral; can refer to economic or social growth without implying specific standards of being "civilized.")
|
modernization (Focuses on becoming modern (technology, industry), which is only one aspect of the broader process implied by "civilization.")
Antonyms
decivilization (Used in some academic and historical writing to describe the breakdown or reversal of civilizing processes.)
|
regression (Describes going back to a less developed or less ordered state, the opposite direction of a civilizing process.)
Collocations
the process of civilization
|the civilization of indigenous peoples
|stages of civilization
|agents of civilization
Themes
history
|politics
|sociology
|education
Examples
- The book examines the civilization of the region from small tribal groups into a centralized kingdom.
- Some historians challenge older views that described colonization as the "civilization" of indigenous peoples.
- He wrote about the slow civilization of frontier towns in the nineteenth century.
- The article explores whether war can ever contribute to the civilization of societies.
Learner examples
- The civilization of early Europe took many years.
- Some old books speak about the civilization of native people, but this idea is now often criticized.
- The civilization of a country can change its laws and cities.
- Historians study the civilization of different groups over time.
Grammar
Dictionary form
civilization
IPA
GB/sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
US/sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
civil - iz - a - tion (4 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (tion)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: civilization
- Plural: civilization, civilizations
Word family
Expressions
ancient civilization
1/ˈeɪnʃənt sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
very old advanced society
A very old group of people with cities and a rich culture that lived thousands of years ago.
Examples
- Tourists come to see the ruins of the ancient civilization that once ruled this valley.
- Ancient civilizations left behind writing, art, and buildings that we still study today.
modern civilization
1/mˈɑdɚn sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
today’s technologically advanced societies
The way people live now in big, organized societies with modern science, machines, and systems.
Examples
- Many people wonder whether modern civilization is sustainable with current levels of consumption.
- The internet has changed almost every part of modern civilization.
the cradle of civilization
1/ðə kɹˈeɪdəl əv sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
idiom
place where civilization began
A place where some of the first big, organized human societies started in history.
Examples
- Mesopotamia is often called the cradle of civilization.
- Schools sometimes teach that the Fertile Crescent was the cradle of civilization.
the dawn of civilization
1/ðə dˈɔn əv sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
literary
earliest time of civilization
The very early time in history when the first big, organized human societies began.
Examples
- Humans have been telling stories since the dawn of civilization.
- These tools date back to nearly the dawn of civilization in this region.
the end of civilization as we know it
1/ðə ˈɛnd əv sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən ˈæz wˈi nˈoʊ ˈɪt/
idiom
informal
imagined destruction of current society
A very big and scary change that would destroy or completely change our normal way of life in today’s world.
Examples
- Some people talk about climate change as the end of civilization as we know it.
- When the power went out, he joked that it was the end of civilization as we know it.
Western civilization
1/wˈɛstɚn sˌɪvəlɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
European and related cultures
The history and culture of Europe and countries strongly influenced by Europe, like the United States and Canada.
Examples
- The course offers an introduction to Western civilization from ancient Greece to the present.
- Debates about Western civilization often focus on democracy, human rights, and science.