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Recent Examples of civilize
Practically speaking, if your checklist is mostly phones and a CPAP, a mid-size electric battery station is civilized: quiet, indoor-safe and instantly useful.
—
Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
In this view, other European immigrants were unsuitable for civilizing the frontier—Southern Europeans were effete and decadent while Eastern European Jews were hapless in the woods and better-suited to urban, commercial spaces.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 5 June 2025
Five decades of broken agreements have shown that side-deals and photo-ops cannot civilize a theocracy.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 29 May 2025
Colonial empires were founded upon understandings of racial hierarchy and civilizing missions.
—Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 26 Mar. 2021
See All Example Sentences for civilize
Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
In this view, other European immigrants were unsuitable for civilizing the frontier—Southern Europeans were effete and decadent while Eastern European Jews were hapless in the woods and better-suited to urban, commercial spaces.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 5 June 2025
Five decades of broken agreements have shown that side-deals and photo-ops cannot civilize a theocracy.
—Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 29 May 2025
Colonial empires were founded upon understandings of racial hierarchy and civilizing missions.
—Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 26 Mar. 2021
See All Example Sentences for civilize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civilize
Verb
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These experiences cultivated a mindset attuned to complexity and dependable systems.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Through gatherings like this one, the Compass is cultivating the spaces and systems that make creativity sustainable.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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During the party’s push to urbanize China in the 2000s, many farmers had to surrender even these meager rights in exchange for an apartment and a welfare check.—
Ian Johnson,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
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As cities urbanize and increase in density, more buildings and underground utilities become spaces for rats, and more food becomes available for rodents to eat.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
6 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Civilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civilize. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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