verb
civilize
SIV-uh-lyze/ˈsɪvəlaɪz/
To make people or a society more socially and culturally developed.
The reformers believed public education could civilize society by widening knowledge and encouraging mutual respect.
Etymology
The base connected citizens and public life with courteous behavior. To civilize therefore meant introducing civil organization and order, linking social development with refinement of manners.
In context
That belief that Europe must save, teach, and civilize became the moral armor of empire.
More examples
- The essay questions who gets to define what it means to civilize others.
- Colonial authorities claimed they were civilizing the people they ruled.
- She joked that sharing a home had civilized his table manners.
Forms
civilize · civilizes · civilized · civilizing
Similar words
- educate
- Educate develops knowledge or skills; civilize makes a broader and often value-laden claim about social development.