uncivilized
/ʌnˈsɪvəlaɪzd/adjective, verb
uncivilized is spelled U-N-C-I-V-I-L-I-Z-E-D: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, uncivilized means “Not having developed a civilization” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in uncivilized?
| Letters | 11: U-N-C-I-V-I-L-I-Z-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 46,473rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is uncivilized?
Uncivilized appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce uncivilized?
- /ʌnˈsɪvəlaɪzd/
Uncivilized has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-uncivilized.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of uncivilized
- more uncivilized comparative
- most uncivilized superlative
- uncivilised UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does uncivilized mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not having developed a civilization.
The explorers wrote about the so-called uncivilized tribes.
- 2
Crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured.
utterly uncivilized
- 3
Lacking good manners.
uncivilized behavior
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of uncivilize
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Uncivilized in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense crude, barbarous, wild, uncultured:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | incivilisé |
| Spanish | incivilizado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does uncivilized come from?
From un- + civilized.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).