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Showing results for civilize. Search instead for Virilize.
Definitions

civilize

[siv-uh-lahyz] / ˈsɪv əˌlaɪz /


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.

The idea that the Spanish arrived “to civilize is not one we should share.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

By the fifth century BCE, some of the larger villages of Macedon grew big enough to be considered cities, and elite Macedonians made efforts to civilize their country in the style of the southern Greeks.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

You can civilize pungent shoes, too, with products that employ apple cider vinegar, cedar or charcoal to absorb rather than mask the acrid smell.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2018

We will see if we can civilize these corporate man-babies.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2017

"What happened to 'aye'?" "I'm trying to civilize me speech—my speech."

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood




Vocabulary lists containing civilize