Synonyms of civilization

civilization

noun

ˌsi-və-lə-ˈzā-shən 

1

as in lifestyle

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 & Similar Words

• lifestyle
• culture
• society
• life
• manners
• values
• customs
• folklore
• tradition
• mores
• heritage
• legacy
• subculture
• subsociety

2

as in culture

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 & Similar Words

• culture
• accomplishment
• education
• cultivation
• refinement
• literacy
• knowledge
• manners
• learning
• scholarship
• polish
• intellectualism
• civility
• elegance
• couth
• cosmopolitanism
• intellectuality
• urbanity
• erudition
• sophistication
• breeding
• politeness
• gentility
• grace
• taste
• class
• genteelness
• courtesy
• courteousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• barbarism
• ignorance
• illiteracy
• philistinism
• barbarianism
• parochialism
• provincialism
• rusticity
• vulgarity
• coarseness
• crudeness
• boorishness
• unsophistication
• churlishness
• clownishness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of civilization

And, of course, women are often blamed for what is sometimes framed as the impending fall of civilization. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 20 July 2026

As Odysseus wanders from place to place, discovering the foreign customs and attitudes of each one, the story explores the concept of home, asking what kind of civilization is appropriate for an authentic human being. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

In the Bronze Age, xenia was crucial in a civilization made up of islands. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 17 July 2026

That then tied into the idea of the betrayal and manipulation of xenia and how that fed into the collapse of this civilization. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026