as in updating
to adapt to modern needs, taste, or usage
a proposal to modernize the old school and bring it into the 21st century
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Recent Examples of modernizing
The firm has poured countless resources into modernizing the F1 operation, which famously used to track its car builds in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
—
Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Transportation fleets are electrifying, logistics hubs are modernizing, and entire industries are shifting toward digital operations that require significantly more power than legacy grid infrastructure was designed to handle.
—Travis Edmonds, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
The restaurant’s opening in 2024 came with great excitement, as its sibling restaurant, Trattoria Da Me, is an institution in the city, heralded for modernizing traditional Bolognese cuisine without losing its rustic history.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2026
Preservationists and architects counter that the building remains an important civic landmark and say repairing and modernizing it would protect a signature piece of Dallas architecture while avoiding the disruption and cost of abandoning the site.
—Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
That came as Xi’s purge of China’s military widened — including the removal of nine military officers from the congress last week — as China speeds up its goals of modernizing its army in the coming few years.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
In her new job, Quiñones will work on modernizing Puerto Rico’s electric grid.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
In the interview, Kifowit has played down the urgency of modernizing the comptroller’s office, saying improvements are already underway.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Italy has held the first keel-laying ceremony for new submarines aimed at modernizing its naval fleet.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Transportation fleets are electrifying, logistics hubs are modernizing, and entire industries are shifting toward digital operations that require significantly more power than legacy grid infrastructure was designed to handle.
—Travis Edmonds, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
The restaurant’s opening in 2024 came with great excitement, as its sibling restaurant, Trattoria Da Me, is an institution in the city, heralded for modernizing traditional Bolognese cuisine without losing its rustic history.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2026
Preservationists and architects counter that the building remains an important civic landmark and say repairing and modernizing it would protect a signature piece of Dallas architecture while avoiding the disruption and cost of abandoning the site.
—Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
That came as Xi’s purge of China’s military widened — including the removal of nine military officers from the congress last week — as China speeds up its goals of modernizing its army in the coming few years.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
In her new job, Quiñones will work on modernizing Puerto Rico’s electric grid.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
In the interview, Kifowit has played down the urgency of modernizing the comptroller’s office, saying improvements are already underway.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Italy has held the first keel-laying ceremony for new submarines aimed at modernizing its naval fleet.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modernizing
Verb
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Benning's goals for the next year include continuing to work through deferred maintenance, building up city infrastructure, updating city ordinances, expanding housing opportunities and helping the city develop a new strategic plan, which is due for a refresh in 2026.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Green wants to keep updating his film.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The developer lived there for over a decade with his family, completely redesigning the home.—
Elle Meier,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
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Sixty-three percent of C-suite leaders said redesigning work to incorporate AI and automation is a top 2026 people priority.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The bill aims to make homebuilding easier by streamlining some regulations that require environmental reviews and inspections.—
Charlotte Kramon,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Mahan has identified advanced manufacturing as a key sector for growth and retention and has called for streamlining approval for such businesses in industrial zones.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Guillermo del Toro chased after remaking his favorite monster movie for over a decade.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Many Cubans remain fiercely nationalistic and are not likely to accept any deal that requires them to surrender their national sovereignty by remaking their political or economic system to please the United States.—
William M. LeoGrande,
The Conversation,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modernizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modernizing. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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