civilize
verb
civ·i·lize
ˈsi-və-ˌlīz 
civilized; civilizing
1
: to cause to develop out of a primitive state
especially
: to bring to a technically advanced and rationally ordered stage of cultural development
2
: to acquire the customs and amenities of a civil community
civilizer
noun
Examples of civilize in a Sentence
Her parents hoped that boarding school might civilize her some.
a teacher who had a civilizing influence on the students
He is credited with civilizing the treatment of people with mental illnesses.
efforts to civilize the health-care system
They believed it was their duty to civilize the native people.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump still hasn’t learned to shut up and try to be civilized.
—
George Skelton, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
This kind of boosterism—no less evident in Bernard Lewis’s highbrow argument in The New Yorker that Muslims fear modernity than in Niall Ferguson’s entreaties for the Bush Administration to resume the British Empire’s task of civilizing the natives—always seemed bafflingly sterile to me.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Trump still hasn’t learned to shut up and try to be civilized.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Biking in Copenhagen is civilized—collective pressure ensures hand signals and other forms of etiquette are strictly adhered to.
—Tamara Shopsin, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civilize
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George Skelton, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
This kind of boosterism—no less evident in Bernard Lewis’s highbrow argument in The New Yorker that Muslims fear modernity than in Niall Ferguson’s entreaties for the Bush Administration to resume the British Empire’s task of civilizing the natives—always seemed bafflingly sterile to me.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Trump still hasn’t learned to shut up and try to be civilized.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Biking in Copenhagen is civilized—collective pressure ensures hand signals and other forms of etiquette are strictly adhered to.
—Tamara Shopsin, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for civilize
Cite this Entry
“Civilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civilize. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
civilize
verb
civ·i·lize
ˈsiv-ə-ˌlīz
civilized; civilizing
: to cause to develop out of a primitive state
especially
: to bring to an advanced stage (as in art, science, and government) of social development
civilized
adjective
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