# civilization

/ˌsɪvəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/civilization
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a specific society

noun · CEFR B2

a large group of people with their own organized culture, laws, and way of life.

For teachers: a complex society characterized by urban development, social stratification, and shared cultural or political institutions.

- The ancient Maya civilization built incredible stone temples in the jungle.
- Archaeologists are still uncovering the sophisticated irrigation systems used by the Indus Valley civilization over four thousand years ago.

### 2. human society in general

noun · CEFR B2

all people living together in an organized way, especially when compared to nature or a wild state.

For teachers: the collective state of human social development and the comforts or infrastructure of modern life.

- After three weeks of camping in the woods, it was nice to return to civilization.
- The explorer expressed concern that the rapid expansion of industrial civilization was threatening the planet's most fragile ecosystems.

### 3. the process of development

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

the act of improving how a society works or how people behave toward each other.

For teachers: the process of achieving a higher state of social, cultural, or technological development.

- The spread of education was a key part of the civilization of the region.
- Historians often debate whether the rapid civilization of nomadic tribes was driven more by trade or by military conquest.

## Examples

- Ancient Egypt was a powerful civilization that lasted for thousands of years.
- Archaeologists study the ruins of the Mayan civilization to understand how their complex calendar system functioned.
- The collapse of a civilization is rarely the result of a single event, but rather a confluence of environmental degradation, political instability, and economic exhaustion.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.