civilisation

What it means

1. countableuncountableUK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Commonwealth spelling of civilization.

   It is also there in Miller’s worldview, which has long promoted racist fears of demographic replacement of white people and civilisation decline.

   2026 January 21, David Smith, “Trump paints himself as great white hope in racism-drenched Davos speech”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2026

   1 more example

   From Keighley onwards we had obviously returned to civilisation, for the surrounding country was now studded with the sodium street lights of suburbia and a thickening industrial haze was blotting out the moon.

   1960 January, G. Freeman Allen, “"Condor"—British Railways' fastest freight train”, in Trains Illustrated, page 48

In a sentence

From Keighley onwards we had obviously returned to civilisation, for the surrounding country was now studded with the sodium street lights of suburbia and a thickening industrial haze was blotting out the moon.

1960 January, G. Freeman Allen, “"Condor"—British Railways' fastest freight train”, in Trains Illustrated, page 48

Where it comes from

1. Frenchcivilisation
2. Englishcivilisation

Borrowed from French civilisation, equivalent to civilise + -ation or civil + -isation.