civ ‧ i ‧ li ‧ za ‧ tion BrE AmE ( also civilisation British English ) /ˌsɪv ə l-aɪˈzeɪʃ ə n $ -v ə lə-/ noun
1 . [uncountable and countable] a society that is well organized and developed, used especially about a particular society in a particular place or at a particular time ⇨ civilized :
modern American civilization
civilization of
the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome
2 . [uncountable] all the societies in the world considered as a whole:
The book explores the relationship between religion and civilization.
the dawn of civilization (=the beginning of civilization)
3 . [uncountable] a place such as a city where you feel comfortable, especially because it is modern ⇨ civilized :
After a week in the mountains, all I wanted to do was get back to civilization.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ American/European/Chinese etc civilization
the history of Chinese civilization
▪ western civilization (=from Europe or the Americas)
Many people are rejecting the values of western civilization.
▪ ancient civilization (=a very old one)
The achievements of Egypt's ancient civilization were remarkable.
▪ modern civilization
Technology is one of the benefits of modern civilization.
▪ a great civilization (=very important and interesting)
the great civilizations of India and China
▪ human civilization
the development of human civilization
▪ industrial civilization
Industrial civilization is barely a century old.
▪ an advanced civilization
Philosophy is a luxury of an advanced civilization.
▪ higher civilizations (=more advanced ones)
There could be higher civilizations on other planets.
▪ a primitive civilization (=one that is not at all advanced)
His main interest was primitive civilizations.
▪ early civilizations (=existing before others, or at the beginning of a period of time)
the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and the East Mediterranean