community
C2Formal, Neutral, Informal
Definition
Meaning
A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic or interest in common.
A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, or goals. Also used to refer to a group of interdependent organisms of different species growing or living together in a specified habitat.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The sense of shared identity is central to all uses. The word can describe a geographically bounded group (town, neighbourhood), a group with a shared interest (online community), or a sense of belonging (community spirit).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. 'Community' is a key term in British political discourse (e.g., 'the business community', 'community policing'). In the US, it is heavily used in social and urban planning contexts.
Connotations
In UK English, it often carries strong positive connotations of social cohesion and local identity. In US English, it can have similar positive connotations but is also a neutral administrative term (e.g., 'gated community').
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in both varieties, with no significant difference.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
community of + [PLURAL NOUN] (e.g., a community of artists)community + [PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE] (e.g., community in the north)community + [MODIFIER] (e.g., the immigrant community)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Community chest”
- “Pillar of the community”
- “Community spirit”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to stakeholders, e.g., 'the business community' or 'user community'.
Academic
Used in sociology, ecology ('plant community'), and IT ('community of practice').
Everyday
Talks about local area, schools, or online groups.
Technical
In ecology: a group of interacting species; in IT: a group of users or developers.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The new residents quickly communitied with their neighbours.
- Efforts to community the disparate groups failed.
American English
- The app is designed to help users community around shared hobbies.
- The project aims to community the downtown area.
adverb
British English
- The event was organised communally.
- They decided to farm the land community.
American English
- The project is funded communally.
- We need to think more community.
adjective
British English
- She does a lot of community work.
- The community garden is thriving.
American English
- Community outreach is a priority.
- They held a community meeting last night.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I live in a small community.
- Our school is in this community.
- The local community organised a festival.
- There is a strong sense of community in our village.
- The policy was criticised by the international scientific community.
- Online communities can provide support for people with rare conditions.
- The study analyses the impact of gentrification on established urban communities.
- A complex community of microorganisms inhabits the human gut.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'COMMunity' as a group you can COMMunicate with because you have something in COMMon.
Conceptual Metaphor
COMMUNITY IS A CONTAINER (people are inside a community), COMMUNITY IS A FAMILY (members support each other like kin).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'коммуна' (commune). 'Community' is broader. The closer Russian equivalent is 'сообщество' or 'община' for a local group.
- Avoid translating 'local community' directly as 'местная коммуна'; use 'местное сообщество'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect plural: 'communitys' instead of 'communities'.
- Confusing 'community' with 'society' (society is larger and more abstract).
- Using 'a' before uncountable uses: 'a great community spirit' (correct) vs. 'He lives in a community' (often implies a specific type like a religious community).
Practice
Quiz
In an ecological context, a 'community' refers to:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is primarily a countable noun (e.g., 'several communities'). However, the sense of 'feeling of belonging' can be uncountable (e.g., 'a sense of community').
'Society' refers to a large, complex system of social organization (e.g., British society). 'Community' is smaller, implying shared location, identity, or interests and a stronger sense of personal connection.
Yes, attributively in compounds like 'community centre', 'community service'. It is not used predicatively as an adjective (*'The centre is very community').
Stress is on the second syllable in both UK (/kəˈmjuːnəti/) and US (/kəˈmjunədi/) English.
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