intentional community
C1/C2Formal, Academic, Sociological, Technical
Definition
Meaning
A planned residential community designed to foster high degrees of social cohesion, cooperation, and shared values among its members, who live together voluntarily.
Any group of people living together in a specific locality, who share common social, spiritual, political, environmental, or economic goals and consciously structure their daily lives and resources to pursue these goals collectively. The term encompasses diverse models including communes, ecovillages, cohousing, housing cooperatives, ashrams, and kibbutzim.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term explicitly contrasts with traditional communities formed by chance, necessity, or historical circumstance. It implies a conscious choice and a degree of social design. It is a hypernym; specific types (commune, cohousing) are hyponyms with their own connotations.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or grammatical difference. The concept is equally understood. The term 'commune' may carry stronger historical/political connotations in UK usage.
Connotations
Generally neutral-to-positive in academic/sociological contexts. In casual use, it may sometimes be associated with utopianism, alternative lifestyles, or counterculture.
Frequency
Low frequency in everyday conversation, but standard and understood in relevant academic, sociological, and planning discourses in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Noun] is an intentional community based on [principle/goal].They decided to form/create/establish an intentional community.She has lived in an intentional community for [period of time].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Building a life together (captures the essence but is not a fixed idiom for the term).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might appear in contexts of social enterprise or cooperative business models embedded in community living.
Academic
Common in sociology, anthropology, urban studies, and human geography to describe a specific social phenomenon.
Everyday
Low frequency. Used by people interested in alternative lifestyles, sustainability, or specific religious/spiritual groups.
Technical
Standard term in sociology, community planning, and in the lexicon of organisations like the Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The group are looking to **intentional-community** on a plot in Wales. (rare, non-standard, potentially jargonic)
American English
- They hope to **intentional community** as a verb meaning to establish such a place. (rare, non-standard)
adverb
British English
- They lived **intentionally communally**. (phrasing, not a direct adverb from the noun phrase)
American English
- The land was held **in an intentionally communal** way. (phrasing)
adjective
British English
- They studied **intentional-community** principles.
American English
- She is involved in the **intentional community** movement.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Some people choose to live in an intentional community to be closer to nature.
- An intentional community is a place where people live together by choice.
- The ecovillage is a form of intentional community focused on sustainability and shared resources.
- After university, she spent a year living in an intentional community based on egalitarian principles.
- Sociologists study intentional communities as laboratories for alternative social structures and economic models.
- The decision to form an intentional community often stems from a desire to counteract the alienation perceived in mainstream society.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'INTENTIONAL' as the key: it's not an accidental neighbourhood; it's a community formed with clear INTENT and common purpose.
Conceptual Metaphor
COMMUNITY AS A DELIBERATE CONSTRUCTION/PROJECT (vs. a natural growth).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'интенциональное сообщество' as it is not a standard term. Use 'сознательно созданная община', 'коммуна' (for commune), or the borrowed term 'интеншионал комьюнити' in specialised contexts.
- Do not confuse with 'интеллигентное сообщество' ('intelligent community').
Common Mistakes
- Using 'international community' incorrectly (a common auditory confusion).
- Using it as a synonym for any close-knit neighbourhood.
- Misspelling as 'intension-al'.
Practice
Quiz
What is the PRIMARY distinguishing feature of an 'intentional community'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A commune is a specific, often more radical type of intentional community, typically involving shared income and resources. 'Intentional community' is the broader umbrella term.
It varies greatly by community. Some have highly collective living, while others, like cohousing, emphasise private homes with extensive shared common facilities and social structures.
No. While many are rural (e.g., ecovillages), urban intentional communities and cohousing projects exist in cities worldwide.
Not inherently. It is a descriptive, academic term. However, the specific goals of a given community (e.g., political, religious) may carry their own connotations.