What is the term that identifies a group of people who live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture?

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[ kuh-myoo-ni-tee ]

/ kəˈmyu nɪ ti /

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

noun, plural com·mu·ni·ties.

a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

a locality inhabited by such a group.

a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists: the business community;the community of scholars;diversity within a college community;London's Jewish and Muslim communities.

a group of associated nations sharing common interests or a common heritage: the community of Western Europe.

Ecclesiastical. a group of men or women leading a common life according to a rule.

Ecology. an assemblage of interacting populations occupying a given area.

joint possession, enjoyment, liability, etc.: community of property.

the community,the public; society: the needs of the community.

Origin of community

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin commūnitās, equivalent to commūni(s) “common” + -tās noun suffix; replacing Middle English comunete, from Middle French, from Latin as above; see common, -ty2;

synonym study for community

1. Community, hamlet, village, town, city are terms for groups of people living in somewhat close association, and usually under common rules. Community is a general term, and town is often loosely applied. A commonly accepted set of connotations envisages hamlet as a small group, village as a somewhat larger one, town still larger, and city as very large. Size is, however, not the true basis of differentiation, but properly sets off only hamlet. Incorporation, or the absence of it, and the type of government determine the classification of the others.

OTHER WORDS FROM community

com·mu·ni·tal, adjectivepro·com·mu·nity, adjective

Words related to community

association, center, company, district, nation, neighborhood, people, public, society, state, colony, commonality, commonwealth, hamlet, locality, populace, residents, territory, turf, affinity

How to use community in a sentence

• The community does not yet have adequate testing, contact tracing, or isolation.

• Sky glow is a term that’s already in use in the light pollution community, so that’s not my favorite term.

• She sought input from various community stakeholders, many of whom had been rankled by her appointment to lead the police division.

• Organizations like his try to do outreach and help convert messaging into something that resonates with underrepresented communities, but they are stretched thin, especially with the coronavirus pandemic and recent racial justice movement.

• She last wrote for Eater about the rise of community fridges across the country.

• We have thousands of users who identify themselves as transgendered and they are welcome members of the Grindr community.

• Some gay apps, like the newer Mister, have not subscribed to the community/tribe model.

• What matters is being honest, humble, and a faithful and loyal friend, father and member of your community.

• The need for increased community policing is more urgent than ever before.

• Marrying another Jew was not just a personal simcha (joy), but one for the community.

• But hitherto, before these new ideas began to spread in our community, the mass of men and women definitely settled down.

• I doubt if the modern community can afford to continue it; it certainly cannot afford to extend it very widely.

• And could it not be extended from its present limited range until it reached practically the whole adolescent community?

• It was not, however, through any of these artificial means that real relief was brought to the community.

• In the community her father was the wealthiest man, having made his fortune in the growing of potatoes and fruit.

noun plural -ties

1. the people living in one locality
2. the locality in which they live
3. (as modifier)community spirit

a group of people having cultural, religious, ethnic, or other characteristics in commonthe Protestant community

a group of nations having certain interests in common

the public in general; society

common ownership or participation

similarity or agreementcommunity of interests

(in Wales since 1974 and Scotland since 1975) the smallest unit of local government; a subdivision of a district

ecologya group of interdependent plants and animals inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other through food and other relationships