Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

civilise

/ˈsɪvɪlaɪz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.61 in modern English

Syllables
civ-il-ise
IPA
/ˈsɪvɪlaɪz/
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To educate or enlighten a person or people to a perceived higher standard of behaviour.

verb

To introduce or impose the standards of one civilisation upon another civilization, group or person, arguably with the intent of achieving a perceived higher standard of behavior.

verb

To bring from a state of savagery to an educated or refined state.

Etymology

From civil + -ise.

Inflected Forms

civilises (present, singular) civilising (participle, present) civilised (participle, past) civilised (past) civilize (alternative)

Derived Forms

decivilise uncivilise

Frequently Paired Words

citizen city civil civilian civilisation civilization civitas

Synonyms

civilize educate school train cultivate

Questions

How do you pronounce civilise?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɪvɪlaɪz/.
What does civilise mean?
To educate or enlighten a person or people to a perceived higher standard of behaviour.
Where does civilise come from?
From civil + -ise.

How to pronounce civilise

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “civilise”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsɪvɪlaɪz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “civilise”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “civilise” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.