Thesaurus results for CIVILIZE

civilize

verb

as in to cultivate

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of civilize 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 Classic imperialism sought to bind disparate places together under a vast administrative structure, animated by a civilizing mission. —

Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 16 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 If Providence gave Americans the right to civilize a continent, why not the world? —

Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for civilize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for civilize

Verb

Insider tip Yunnan and Kunming are known for their flowers, both wild and cultivated, so the hotel’s floral arrangements and garden landscapes are particularly beautiful.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 June 2026
In 2025, Mycoworks shuttered its South Carolina biomanufacturing plant, announcing a pivot to processing cheaper third-party mycelium instead of cultivating it themselves, and Natural Fiber Welding narrowly escaped bankruptcy, adding to the sense of an ending.

— Bella Webb, Vogue, 11 June 2026