Dictionary

civilizational en · ADJ

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱey-der. Proto-Italic *keiwis Latin ceivis Latin cīvis Proto-Indo-European *-elis Proto-Italic *-elis Latin -ilis Latin -īlis Latin cīvīlislbor. French civil Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izārebor. Old French -iser French -iser French civiliser Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ation Middle French -ation French -ation French civilisationbor. English civilization Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English civilizational From civilization + -al.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Pertaining to or arising from civilization
   • U.S. President Donald Trump, whose recent National Security Strategy warned longtime European allies that they risked “civilizational erasure,” regards the centuries-old legacy of Christian Europeans as imperiled by a series of threats. 2025 December 8, Ned Temko, “Europe’s challenge: Curb migration while preserving liberal identity”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 18 Dec 2025:
   • There are various civilizational factors at work.
   • From the Baltics to Central Asia, former Soviet states are seen by President Vladimir Putin as part of “the Russian world,” with supposedly a distinct civilizational identity that justifies Moscow’s meddling. 2024 March 22, The [Christian Science] Monitor's Editorial Board, “Victories against Russia – outside Ukraine”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 10 Apr 2024:
   • “We’ve got civilizational suicidal empathy going on,” Musk said, borrowing the term from Gad Saad, a Canadian scholar who is also a frequent Rogan host. 2025 March 5, Zachary B. Wolf, “Elon Musk wants to save Western civilization from empathy”, in CNN, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2025:

Forms

Deriveds

anti-civilizational · civilizationally · anticivilizational · multicivilizational · intercivilizational · extracivilizational

Translations (13)

fr civilisationnel (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · fi sivistys- (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · de zivilisatorisch (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · be цывілізацы́йны (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · bn তামাদ্দুনিক (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · fi sivistykseen liittyvä (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · pl cywilizacyjny (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · ru цивилизацио́нный (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · ro civilizațional (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · de Zivilisations- (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · uk цивілізаці́йний (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · bn তহজীবী (pertaining to or arising from civilization) · nl civilisationeel (pertaining to or arising from civilization)