civilize C2+ Topic:People & Society Also spelled civilise, sivilize, and sivilized US /ˈsɪvəˌlaɪz/ UK /ˈsɪvɪˌlaɪz/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to bring out of a primitive state to a more refined social condition They believed roads and schools would civilize the frontier. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to bring out of a primitive... refinecultivateeducateenlightentamepolish ↔ Opposites barbarizebrutalize Word family Derived forms civilizedcivilizingcivilization Related forms civilcivilitycivic Etymology AI details From French civiliser, from Latin civilis ('relating to citizens'), from civis ('citizen'). civilis Latin civis Latin View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # civilize **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˈsɪvəˌlaɪz/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪvɪˌlaɪz/ ## Meanings 1. to bring out of a primitive state to a more refined social condition ## Examples - They believed roads and schools would civilize the frontier. ## Synonyms - refine - cultivate - educate - enlighten - tame - polish ## Antonyms - barbarize - brutalize ## Derived Forms - civilized - civilizing - civilization ## Related Forms - civil - civility - civic ## Roots and Affixes - Root: civilis - Root: civis ## Etymology From French civiliser, from Latin civilis ('relating to citizens'), from civis ('citizen'). ## AI Etymology Civilize comes from French civiliser, from Latin civilis ('relating to citizens'), from civis ('citizen'). The historical trail runs through civilis in Latin and civis in Latin. Used as a verb, civilize now means "bring out of a primitive state to a more refined social condition", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as civilized, civilizing, and civilization and related forms such as civil, civility, and civic. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown