Standard Lemma guide

civilize

verb · 3 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S IH1 V AH0 L AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

American and Oxford British standard spelling of civilise.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

raise from a barbaric to a civilized state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The wild child found wandering in the forest was gradually civilized

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: civilise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

3

verb

Meaning 3

teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Cultivate your musical taste
  • Train your tastebuds
  • She is well schooled in poetry

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: educate, school, train, cultivate, civilise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: polish, refine, fine-tune, down

Narrower terms: sophisticate

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French civiliser, corresponding to civil + -ize.