modernize

verb

mod·​ern·​ize ˈmä-dər-ˌnīz 

modernized; modernizing

transitive verb

: to make modern (as in taste, style, or usage)

modernize a kitchen

intransitive verb

: to adopt modern ways

Older companies need to modernize to survive in the new economy.

modernizer noun

Synonyms of modernize

• redesign
• update
• streamline
• remake

Examples of modernize in a Sentence

We're modernizing our kitchen with a new oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher.

The country recently announced plans to begin modernizing its army.

The school needs a building with modernized classrooms.

Older companies will need to modernize quickly if they are to survive in today's economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

This bipartisan legislation would authorize grants to repair and modernize HBCU campuses. — Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

The laboratory also modernized Thermal Diffusion Isotopic Separation (TDIS), allowing the gases themselves to be enriched directly. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026

America needs to modernize with the same ambition that built the Innovation Treadmill in the first place. — Roderick Wong, Fortune, 25 July 2026

The restaurant’s building is set to be demolished shortly after its final day of operation as part of the $600-million revitalization project that will modernize the harbor and bring new restaurants, hotels and shops. — Lily Wright, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for modernize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

modernize

verb

mod·​ern·​ize ˈmäd-ər-ˌnīz 

modernized; modernizing

: to make or become modern

especially : to change to suit present styles, tastes, or needs

modernization

ˌmäd-ər-nə-ˈzā-shən

noun

modernizer

ˈmäd-ər-ˌnī-zər

noun