CIVILIZATION


Meaning of CIVILIZATION in English

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

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.