1 [C,U] a society which has its own highly developed culture and way of life 文明社会；文明世界: the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome 古希腊、古罗马的文明社会Western civilization 西方文明社会

2 [U] an advanced state of social and cultural development, or the process of reaching this state 文明: the civilization of the human race 人类文明

3 [U] all the people in the world and the societies they live in considered as a whole 全世界的人和社会: Global warming poses a threat to the whole of civilization. 地球暖化对整个世界造成威胁。