Standard Lemma guide

uncivilized

adj · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ʌnˈsɪvəlaɪzd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N S IH1 V AH0 L AY0 Z D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not having developed a civilization.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The explorers wrote about the so-called uncivilized tribes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • utterly uncivilized
  • They described the practice as uncivilized.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barbaric, pagan, uncultivated, animalistic, barbarian, barbarious, barbarous, brutal, brutish, Gothic, Gothlike, grim, heathen, heathenish, heathenly, heathenous, incivil, savage, tenebrose, truculent, uncivil, uncivilized, uncouth, uncultured, uplandish, wolfish

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Lacking good manners.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • uncivilized behavior

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bumptious, ill-bred, rude, aweless, improper, bad-mannered, barbaric, bold, crude, churlish, impudent, discourteous, gauche, ill-mannered, impolite, incivil, insolent, lack-grace, mismannered, rantipole, rough, uncivil, uncivilized, uncourteous, uncouth, uncultured, underbred, unmannerly, unpolished, unpolite, unrefined

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

simple past and past participle of uncivilize

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

without civilizing influences-Margaret Meade

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • barbarian invaders
  • barbaric practices
  • a savage people
  • fighting is crude and uncivilized especially if the weapons are efficient
  • wild tribes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barbarian, barbaric, savage, uncivilised, wild

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From un- + civilized.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: هَمَجِيّ (hamajiyy) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Catalan: incivilitzat — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Catalan: bàrbar — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Esperanto: necivilizita — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Finnish: sivistymätön — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • French: incivilisé — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Greek: απολίτιστος (apolítistos) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Hebrew: חֲסַר תַּרְבּוּת (khasár tarbút) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Hindi: बर्बर (barbar) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Hindi: जंगली (jaṅglī) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Hindi: अशिष्ट (aśiṣṭ) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Italian: barbaro — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Italian: non civilizzato — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Latin: barbarus — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Malayalam: അപരിഷ്കൃത (apariṣkr̥ta) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Russian: нецивилизованный (necivilizovannyj) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Spanish: incivilizado — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Swedish: ociviliserad — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Thai: ป่าเถื่อน (bpàa-tʉ̀ʉan) — crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured
  • Catalan: incivil — lacking good manners
  • Catalan: salvatge — lacking good manners
  • Catalan: bàrbar — lacking good manners
  • Catalan: incivilitzat — lacking good manners
  • French: incivilisé — lacking good manners
  • Greek: απολίτιστος (apolítistos) — lacking good manners
  • Hebrew: חֲסַר תַּרְבּוּת (khasár tarbút) — lacking good manners
  • Hindi: असभ्य (asabhya) — lacking good manners
  • Latin: incultus — lacking good manners
  • Swedish: ociviliserad — lacking good manners
  • Tagalog: asal-hayop — lacking good manners
  • Thai: ป่าเถื่อน (bpàa-tʉ̀ʉan) — lacking good manners