civilizing
Bringing to refinement
Civilizing is the present participle of civilize, used as an adjective or in continuous verb forms.
It describes the process of bringing refinement, order, or social development to a person, group, or place.
A civilizing influence is something that encourages more cultured or orderly behavior.
The term carries historical baggage from colonial eras, when "civilizing missions" were used to justify imposing one culture's values on another, making its use in that context now often ironic or critical.
Making wild things gentle
- subduingBringing under control
- pacifyingCalming someone agitated
- settlingReaching resolution or rest
- colonizingOccupying and controlling territory
conquering · frontier · wilderness · housebreaking · training · acculturating · converting · reclaiming
Rules of polite conduct
- mannersCustoms of polite conduct
- politenessCourteous, respectful conduct
- courtesyRespectful, considerate behavior
- decorumFitting social conduct
propriety · sophistication · gentility · grace · tact · diplomacy · polish · urbanity
Formal education received
- literacyAbility to read, write
- pedagogyArt of instruction
- instructionGuidance for action
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
curriculum · scholarship · tutoring · acculturation · socialization · indoctrination · assimilation · missionary
Adoption of current methods
- advancementForward movement or promotion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- industrializationTransition to factory-based economy
enlightenment · infrastructure · democratization · reform · liberalization · nation-building · colonization · imperialism
taming
Making wild things gentle
colonizing · conquering · frontier · wilderness · housebreaking · training · acculturating · converting · reclaiming
etiquette
Rules of polite conduct
- mannersCustoms of polite conduct
- politenessCourteous, respectful conduct
- courtesyRespectful, considerate behavior
decorum · propriety · sophistication · gentility · grace · tact · diplomacy · polish · urbanity · savoir-faire
schooling
Formal education received
- literacyAbility to read, write
- pedagogyArt of instruction
- instructionGuidance for action
enlightenment · curriculum · scholarship · tutoring · acculturation · socialization · indoctrination · assimilation · missionary · learning
modernization
Adoption of current methods
- advancementForward movement or promotion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
industrialization · enlightenment · infrastructure · democratization · reform · liberalization · nation-building · colonization · imperialism · westernization
civilizingbarbarizing
Making uncivilized or crude
brutalizing · savaging · degrading · destabilizing · debasing
civilizingcorrupting
Causing moral decay
degrading · debasing · coarsening · demoralizing · dehumanizing
civilizingunenlightening
Not adding understanding
uninformative · dumbing down · stupefying · obscurantist · mind-numbing
- civilizing missionClaimed duty to "improve" peoples
civil, civic, civilian, civilized, civilization, uncivilized, uncivil, civility, civics