Standard Lemma guide

Birminghamize

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbɜː.mɪŋ.əmaɪz/
  • General-American: /ˈbɝ.mɪŋ.əmaɪz/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make ersatz .

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, transitive

Examples

  • 1856, Ralph Waldo Emerson, English Traits, ch. V – "Ability". “The manners and customs of society are artificial;—made-up men with made-up manners;—and thus the whole is Birminghamized, and we have a nation whose existence is a work of art;—a cold, barren, almost arctic isle being made the most fruitful, luxurious and imperial land in the whole earth.”

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Attested since 1856, from Birmingham + -ize. From the English city being known for cheap knock-off goods. Coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson.