civilize

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Heaney was born with a subject he often resisted, and “Digging” turns away from violence to the civilizing necessity of work.

From The Wall Street Journal

The editorial on Friday said Gershkovich’s arrest was “more evidence that Russia is divorcing itself from the community of civilized nations.”

From Washington Post

Indeed, this “savage,” as Shakespeare took pains to note in his complicated depiction of Caliban, is a good deal more civilized than the drunken riffraff with whom he falls into cahoots.

From Los Angeles Times

The local government, describing the event earlier this year in a notice on its website, said it hoped people would abandon such backward customs and do their part to “start a new civilized trend.”

From New York Times

Those qualities of civilized life seem to be in short supply now.

From Washington Post