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Recent Examples of civilize
As a human being at this moment, Eunice teaches us about being civilized.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
To American expansionists, the conquest of the Philippines was a continuation of the United States’ westward drive and a fulfillment of its civilizing and democratizing mission.
—Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The Founding Fathers wanted to civilize a country made up of institutional racists, rabid misogynists and bible-thumping Christians who soon added myths of manly gunslingers and stalwart pioneers to the cultural identity.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 Nov. 2024
Black religions, like Vodou and Santería, became key targets in this civilizing mission, demonized as pagan, savage, and dangerous.
—Aisha M. Beliso-De Jesús / Made By History, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for civilize
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
To American expansionists, the conquest of the Philippines was a continuation of the United States’ westward drive and a fulfillment of its civilizing and democratizing mission.
—Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The Founding Fathers wanted to civilize a country made up of institutional racists, rabid misogynists and bible-thumping Christians who soon added myths of manly gunslingers and stalwart pioneers to the cultural identity.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 Nov. 2024
Black religions, like Vodou and Santería, became key targets in this civilizing mission, demonized as pagan, savage, and dangerous.
—Aisha M. Beliso-De Jesús / Made By History, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for civilize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civilize
Verb
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However, real estate value isn't built overnight; it's cultivated over years and often decades.—
Rodolfo Delgado,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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Once known as the alligator pear, the avocado traces its history to southern Mexico, where the fruit, according to some experts, was first cultivated about 5,000 years ago.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
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During the party’s push to urbanize China in the 2000s, many farmers had to surrender even these meager rights in exchange for an apartment and a welfare check.—
Ian Johnson,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
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And so most countries around the world will need to urbanize to move their populations out of energy poverty, a great transformation that is already taking place at an unprecedented rate.—
Ted Nordhaus,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Aug. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Civilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civilize. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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