You’ve likely come across the word community before, but what does it mean? This article explains the definition of community and more.
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Kevin
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June 19, 2022
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Common Questions
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The word community conveys a sense of togetherness, strength, and positivity, but what exactly does it mean?
In this article, we’re exploring the word community to uncover its definition, origin, synonyms, and more. So if you’ve ever been curious about the term community — keep reading. Here’s our complete guide on community.
What Is the Definition of Community?
( kəˈmjuːnɪti )
Community can be a tricky word to define. The term itself connects us to one another, and it’s also added to the names of social innovations as a symbol of positivity and good intentions (think: community mental health, community economic development, community women’s wellness).
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few dictionary definitions:
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a community refers to the people living in one particular area.
The National Library of Medicine says the word community can be defined as a group of individuals with diverse characteristics who are connected by social ties, common perspectives, and/or nationality.
In biology, community — AKA biological community — is an interacting group of various species in a common location.
So, what does community mean, you ask?
Simply put, a community is a group of like-minded individuals who share an identity-forming narrative. In other words, it’s a friendship between different people — or a social unit — with a commonality such as norms, place, religion, values, customs, or identity.
What Are the Different Types of Communities?
The three main types of communities include:
- Rural communities are often thought of as farmland, characterized by low population density with scanty homes located not too close to one another.
- Urban communities are located in cities or towns. Usually characterized by a large population with modern infrastructures.
- Suburban communities are a mix between rural and urban. Commonly found in an area that exists on the outskirts of an urban community.
Although these are the three main types of communities, this way of grouping is often thought of as being too condensed. With this in mind, the type of community can also be classified by the purpose that brings the group together.
- Interest — people who share the same interest or passion
- Action — those who try to bring about change
- Place — folks brought together by geographic boundaries
- Practice — people in the same profession or undertake the same activities
- Circumstance — groups brought together by external situations or events
What Is the Origin of Community?
Our word of the day derives from Latin communitas (meaning “the same”), which comes from communis (meaning “public, common, shared by all or many”).
Communis derives from a mic of the Latin prefix con- (meaning “together”) and the term munis (which has to do with performing services).
What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms Community?
Now that you understand what a community is, let’s take a look at a few synonyms and antonyms.
A synonym is a word that means exactly or nearly the same as another word. Synonyms of community include:
- Group
- Section
- Body
- Company
- Set
- Circle
- Coterie
- Ring
- Clique
- Faction
- Gang
- Bunch
- Band
- Association
- Neighborhood
- Society
- Clans
- Colonies
An antonym is a word that has a meaning opposite to that of another word. Antonyms of community include:
- Incompatibility
- Loner
- Incongruity
- Mortal
- Solo
- Incongruence
- One
- Single entity
- Individual
- Nonconformity
- Incongruousness
- Disagreement
- Difference
- Dissimilarity
How Can You Use Community in a Sentence?
There are lots of ways you can use the word community in a sentence. Here are a few example sentences:
“Sarah lives in a really close-knit community.”
“I love the group of people that live here — there’s a real sense of community.”
“John mentioned the business community is showing interest in the project.”
“There’s a real community of interests here, but both sides seem to be blind to it.’
“If your common interests align with our group goals, then you should stop by the local community clubhouse to discuss joining!”
“With around 80,000 residents that love where they live, it’s easy to see how the town has major community spirit.”
“Did you know that you have a community of bacteria that live in your digestive system, collectively known as your microbiome?”
“The scientific community is releasing an update on their discovery tomorrow night.”
“I was hoping to join a community for women’s rights — do you know where I might be able to find one?”
“If you ask me, the gay community is the most colorful of them all!”
“Due to your horrendous behavior, the members of the community decided to revoke your membership.”
“Do you know the meaning of community?”
“Despite being a pretty small group, my community has a big heart.”
What Are Translations of Community?
Wondering how to say our word of the day in a different language? We have you covered! Here are some of the most popular translations of community:
- American English: community /kəmyˈunɪti/
- Arabic: مُجْتَمَع
- Brazilian Portuguese: comunidade
- Chinese: 社区
- Croatian: zajednica
- Czech: komunita
- Danish: lokalsamfund
- Dutch: gemeenschap
- European Spanish: comunidad
- Finnish: yhteisö
- French: communauté
- German: Gemeinschaft
- Greek: κοινότητα
- Italian: comunità
- Japanese: 地域社会
- Korean: 공동체
- Norwegian: samfunn
- Polish: społeczność
- European Portuguese: comunidade
- Romanian: comunitate
- Russian: общество
- Spanish: comunidad
- Swedish: samhälle
- Thai: ชุมชน
- Turkish: topluluk
- Ukrainian: громада
- Vietnamese: cộng đồng
Conclusion
To be clear, community is not a place, building, or organization — it’s both a feeling and a set of relationships among people. Members of a community often have a sense of trust, safety, belonging, and caring for each other.
What to learn the meaning of more words? Check out our blog!
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