civilization
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a large group of people with their own organized culture, laws, and way of life.
a complex society characterized by urban development, social stratification, and shared cultural or political institutions.
Simple“The ancient Maya civilization built incredible stone temples in the jungle.”
In context“Archaeologists are still uncovering the sophisticated irrigation systems used by the Indus Valley civilization over four thousand years ago.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
all people living together in an organized way, especially when compared to nature or a wild state.
the collective state of human social development and the comforts or infrastructure of modern life.
Simple“After three weeks of camping in the woods, it was nice to return to civilization.”
In context“The explorer expressed concern that the rapid expansion of industrial civilization was threatening the planet's most fragile ecosystems.”
Synonymshumanitythe worldAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
the act of improving how a society works or how people behave toward each other.
the process of achieving a higher state of social, cultural, or technological development.
Simple“The spread of education was a key part of the civilization of the region.”
In context“Historians often debate whether the rapid civilization of nomadic tribes was driven more by trade or by military conquest.”
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage western civilisation
“In other words, there must be one or more steps in the evolution of advanced civilisation that are very difficult to surmount.”
“Two new episodes make up this special release from Dan Snow’s super-popular pod – one on the rise of the advanced ancient civilisation and another on its fall.”
Borrowed from French civilisation, equivalent to civilize + -ation or civil + -ization.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.