civilize
Use Civilize in a sentence
əˌlaɪz verb (used with object), civ·i·lized, civ·i·liz·ing.
to bring out of a savage, uneducated, or rude state; make civil; elevate in social and private life; enlighten; refine: Rome civilized the barbarians.
Also, especially British, civ·i·lise.
Related forms
civ·i·liz·a·ble, adjective
civ·i·liz·er, noun
de·civ·i·lize, verb (used with object), de·civ·i·lized, de·civ·i·liz·ing.
non·civ·i·liz·a·ble, adjective
o·ver·civ·i·lize, verb, o·ver·civ·i·lized, o·ver·civ·i·liz·ing.
un·civ·i·liz·a·ble, adjective
un·civ·i·lize, verb (used with object), un·civ·i·lized, un·civ·i·liz·ing.
Synonyms
educate, teach, instruct, polish, sophisticate.
educate, teach, instruct, polish, sophisticate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To civilize
00:10
Civilize
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
civilize or civilise (ˈsɪvɪˌlaɪz) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to bring out of savagery or barbarism into a state characteristic of civilization |
| 2. | to refine, educate, or enlighten |
| civilise or civilise | |
| —vb | |
| 'civilizable or civilise | |
| —adj | |
| 'civilisable or civilise | |
| —adj | |
| 'civilizer or civilise | |
| —n | |
| 'civiliser or civilise | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
civilize
c.1600, from Fr. civiliser, lit. "to make citified," from O.Fr. civil, from L. civilis (see civil).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Picking the right moment to civilize it and shape it, though, is chancy.
But that aside, things were loose and informal in the frontier settlements even as folks struggled to civilize their surroundings.
They are the new homesteaders, trying to civilize a wasteland at the end of the world.
The big story is not the push to modernize but the struggle to civilize, to curb the bestial side of human nature.
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