italicize

verb

ital·​i·​cize ə-ˈta-lə-ˌsīz 

i-, 

ī-

italicized; italicizing

transitive verb

1

: to print in italics or underscore with a single line

2

: emphasize

… the microphone italicizes every curdled top note …

—P. G. Davis

italicization

ə-ˌta-lə-sə-ˈzā-shən 

i-, 

ī-

noun

Synonyms of italicize

• emphasize

Examples of italicize in a Sentence

high-definition television italicizes every line and wrinkle in an actor's face

Recent Examples on the Web

That should count, underlined and italicized in bold. — Miami Herald, 30 Nov. 2025

The fun for me was to invent a story for her that could italicize Hart’s story. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026

The skips in time that occur in the play are unnecessarily italicized. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025

And the notes that accompany the sermons in outline form are strikingly similar to those Bickle provided for years, even down to the practice of boldfacing, italicizing and underlining certain points. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for italicize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

italicize

verb

ital·​i·​cize ə-ˈtal-ə-ˌsīz 

i-, 

ī-

italicized; italicizing

: to print in italics or underline with a single line