civilization
Organized human culture
Civilization refers to human society at an advanced stage of development, characterized by cities, writing, organized government, and complex social structures.
The word often implies cultural sophistication: the achievements of Western civilization, the cradle of civilization.
It can contrast with barbarism or wilderness: They brought civilization to the frontier.
In the singular, civilization means organized society generally: a threat to civilization itself.
The plural names distinct cultural traditions: ancient civilizations, the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
folklore · mythology · beliefs · religion · ceremonies · cuisine · language · music
How authority is exercised
- infrastructureBasic physical systems
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- administrationOrganizational oversight and control
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
institutions · laws · regulations · legislation · urbanization · economy · sanitation · utilities
Great age, ancient era
- ancientVery old indeed
- empiresExtensive ruled territories
- dynastiesSuccessive rulers from one family
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
colonialism · renaissance · feudalism · prehistoric · chronicle · classical · medieval
Major populated areas
- metropolisLarge important city
- cityscapeView of urban architecture
- megacityUrban area exceeding ten million
- skyscraperVery tall urban building
downtown · infrastructure · sprawl · metropolitan · conurbation · settlement · township · borough
Forward movement or promotion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- innovationCreating something original
- technologyApplied scientific methods
- modernizationAdoption of current methods
industrialization · invention · discovery · breakthrough · science · research · knowledge · literacy
Decrease or refuse
- fallDescend under gravity
- ruinComplete destruction or collapse
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- destructionAct of completely ruining
downfall · demise · barbarian · invasion · plague · famine · war · abandonment
People as a whole
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- justiceFair treatment under law
- dignityInnate personal worth
rights · tolerance · decency · ethics · fairness · benevolence · mercy · philanthropy
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
artifacts · folklore · mythology · beliefs · religion · ceremonies · cuisine · language · music · dance
governance
How authority is exercised
- infrastructureBasic physical systems
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- administrationOrganizational oversight and control
hierarchy · institutions · laws · regulations · legislation · urbanization · economy · sanitation · utilities · transportation
antiquity
Great age, ancient era
archaeology · colonialism · renaissance · feudalism · prehistoric · chronicle · classical · medieval
cities
Major populated areas
- metropolisLarge important city
- cityscapeView of urban architecture
- megacityUrban area exceeding ten million
skyscraper · downtown · infrastructure · sprawl · metropolitan · conurbation · settlement · township · borough · streets
advancement
Forward movement or promotion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- innovationCreating something original
- technologyApplied scientific methods
modernization · industrialization · invention · discovery · breakthrough · science · research · knowledge · literacy · enlightenment
decline
Decrease or refuse
destruction · downfall · demise · barbarian · invasion · plague · famine · war · abandonment · lost
humanity
People as a whole
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- justiceFair treatment under law
dignity · rights · tolerance · decency · ethics · fairness · benevolence · mercy · philanthropy · solidarity
- groupsteam, teams, group, club, clubs
- historypast events, historian, epochs, era, epoch
- humanitiesphilosophy, history, literature, philosophy class, novels
- societiessecret societies, nation, literary societies, tribal society, feudal society
- anthropologyanthropology, fieldwork, ethnography, social anthropology, cultural anthropology
- Victorian IdeasVictorianism, Darwinism, social Darwinism, evolution, natural selection
civilizationbarbarism
Savage, uncivilized behavior
savagery · primitiveness · primitivism · tribalism · prehistory
civilizationbarbarism
Savage, uncivilized behavior
philistinism · boorishness · coarseness · crudeness · vulgarity
- ancient civilizationsSocieties of the distant past
- lost civilizationsDefunct ancient cultures
- Western civilizationEuro-American cultural tradition
- early civilizationEarliest complex human societies
- alien civilizationsNon-Earth intelligent societies
- dawn of civilization