internalize

verb in·ter·nal·ize \ in-ˈtər-nə-ˌlīz \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Examples: internalize in a Sentence

internalized; internalizing

: to give a subjective character to; specifically : to incorporate (values, patterns of culture, etc.) within the self as conscious or subconscious guiding principles through learning or socialization

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internalization

play \in-ˌtər-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən\ noun

See internalize defined for English-language learners

Examples of internalize in a Sentence

They have internalized their parents' values.

Recent Examples of internalize from the Web

Employees are encouraged to make their work life synonymous with their social identity, and many internalize those utopian ideals.

— nitasha tiku, WIRED, "Why Tech Worker Dissent Is Going Viral," 29 June 2018
Some children will internalize their feelings and appear numb; others will respond by acting out.

— dylan gee, Vox, "I study kids who were separated from their parents. The trauma could change their brains forever.," 20 June 2018
Urbanists have been counting on that cohort to internalize the virtues of density.

— justin davidson, Daily Intelligencer, "Downtown Nashville Is Supposed to Be the Model of the Walkable 21st-Century City. I’m Not So Sure.," 8 June 2018
Like these women, Sam tries to remain strong and fight back against the vitriol, all while internalizing the pain of attacks against her character and identity.

— candice frederick, Harper's BAZAAR, "Dear White People's Logan Browning Calls #TimesUp on Black Women as Constant Caretakers," 30 May 2018
While the concept for the 'This is Nigeria,' video isn't original, what Falz did was internalize the message, pass it through his own artistic filter and bring it home to Nigeria to highlight the country's numerous social ills.

— joey akan, CNN, "From Chibok Girls to Yahoo Boys, 'This is Nigeria' video is a mirror for the country," 28 May 2018
In my eyes, a period was the opposite of masculine, and so my ego and internalized expectations of male dominance were enough to convince me to bottle it up and speak about it with no one.

— kenny jones, SELF, "Getting My Period Made Me Feel Like Less of a Man—Even Though I Knew I Was," 24 May 2018
Things like heart rate monitors and power meters may be helpful for beginning exercisers who haven’t yet internalized the feeling of different training zones.

— alex hutchinson, Outside Online, "How Heart Rate Variability Tells You When to Hammer," 4 May 2018
No player in the league is better at internalizing the rhythms and movement of an opponent's defense.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "Cleveland's Defensive Vulnerabilities Promise Most Exciting Eastern Conference Playoffs in Years," 21 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'internalize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of internalize

1794

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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INTERNALIZE Defined for English Language Learners

internalize

verb

: to make (something, such as an idea or an attitude) an important part of the kind of person you are

Medical Dictionary

internalize

transitive verb in·ter·nal·ize

variants: or chiefly British internalise play \in-ˈtərn-ᵊl-ˌīz\

internalized or chiefly British internalised; internalizing or chiefly British internalising

: to give a subjective character to; specifically : to incorporate (as values or patterns of culture) within the self as conscious or subconscious guiding principles through learning or socialization

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