civilization

1 the way people live at a particular time and place a documentary on the advanced civilization created by the Mayas over a thousand years ago Synonyms culture, life, lifestyle, society Related Words customs, manners, mores, values; folklore, heritage, legacy, tradition; subculture, subsociety

2 a high level of taste and enlightenment as a result of extensive intellectual training and exposure to the arts by the 18th century Boston had reached a level of civilization sufficiently advanced to support a circle of portrait painters Synonyms accomplishment, culture, couth, cultivation, polish, refinementRelated Words education, erudition, intellectualism, intellectuality, knowledge, learning, literacy, scholarship; cosmopolitanism, sophistication, urbanity; breeding, genteelness, gentility, manners; class, elegance, grace, taste; civility, courteousness, courtesy, politenessNear Antonyms ignorance, illiteracy; parochialism, provincialism, rusticity, unsophistication; boorishness, churlishness, clownishness, coarseness, crudeness, vulgarityAntonyms barbarianism, barbarism, philistinism