civilized

English

Alternative forms

• civilised (non-Oxford British English)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪv.ɪ.laɪzd/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Hyphenation: civ‧i‧lized

Adjective

civilized (comparative more civilized, superlative most civilized)

1. Having a highly developed society or culture; belonging to civilization.
   • 1889, William T. Hornaday, The Extermination of the American Bison‎^[1]:

     In the year 1521, when Cortez reached Anahuac, the American bison was seen for the first time by civilized Europeans, if we may be permitted to thus characterize the horde of blood thirsty plunder seekers who fought their way to the Aztec capital.

   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 196:

     Like the wolf, man the hunter in killing the weak and unfit, actually works to maintain the health of the herd. But civilized man is quite a different animal, and when he wipes out an entire city or levels a forest, he is no longer working within the natural balance of things.

2. Showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement; humane, reasonable, ethical.
3. Marked by refinement in taste and manners.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed.
        ‘Civilized,’ he said to Mr. Campion. ‘Humanizing.’ […] ‘Cigars and summer days and women in big hats with swansdown face-powder, that's what it reminds me of.’

Derived terms

• civilizedly
• civilizedness
• hypercivilized
• noncivilized
• overcivilized
• precivilized
• semicivilized
• subcivilized
• supercivilized
• ultracivilized
• uncivilized

 

Translations

having a highly developed society or culture

• Armenian: քաղաքակիրթ (hy) (kʻaġakʻakirtʻ)
• Bulgarian: възпитан (vǎzpitan), културен (bg) (kulturen)
• Catalan: civilitzat (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 文明的 (wénmíngde)

• Czech: civilizovaný
• Dutch: beschaafd (nl), geciviliseerd (nl)
• Finnish: sivistynyt (fi)
• French: civilisé (fr)
• German: zivilisiert (de)
• Hindi: सभ्य (hi) (sabhya), मुहज्जब (hi) (muhajjab), शिष्ट (hi) (śiṣṭ)
• Manx: ardveenit
• Polish: cywilizowany (pl), ucywilizowany
• Romanian: civilizat (ro)
• Russian: цивилизо́ванный (ru) (civilizóvannyj), воспи́танный (ru) (vospítannyj), культу́рный (ru) (kulʹtúrnyj)
• Spanish: civilizado (es)
• Ukrainian: цивілізо́ваний (uk) (cyvilizóvanyj)

showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement

• Armenian: քաղաքակիրթ (hy) (kʻaġakʻakirtʻ)
• Bulgarian: цивилизован (bg) (civilizovan)
• Catalan: civilitzat (ca)
• Finnish: sivistynyt (fi)
• German: zivilisiert (de)
• Hindi: सभ्य (hi) (sabhya), मुहज्जब (hi) (muhajjab), शिष्ट (hi) (śiṣṭ)
• Manx: ardveenit, beasagh
• Romanian: civilizat (ro)
• Sanskrit: सभ्य (sa) (sabhya)
• Ukrainian: цивілізо́ваний (uk) (cyvilizóvanyj)

marked by refinement in taste and manners

• Armenian: քաղաքակիրթ (hy) (kʻaġakʻakirtʻ)
• Bulgarian: изтънчен (bg) (iztǎnčen)
• Catalan: educat (ca)
• Finnish: sivistynyt (fi)
• Hindi: सभ्य (hi) (sabhya), मुहज्जब (hi) (muhajjab), शिष्ट (hi) (śiṣṭ)
• Latin: cultus (la)
• Manx: ardveenit
• Sanskrit: सभ्य (sa) (sabhya)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Sindhi: ^{(please verify)} مهذب (sd) (Muhazzib)

Verb

civilized

1. simple past and past participle of civilize

See also

• civil
• civilize