civilize
/'sivilaiz/ Cách viết khác : (civilise) /'sivilaiz/
Definition
- Transitive Verb:
- To bring out of a primitive or savage state and into a state of civilization: To educate and refine a person or society, introducing the norms, customs, and knowledge associated with an advanced, organized society.
- To refine and improve in manners, taste, or intellect: To teach someone to be more polite, cultured, or discriminating in judgment.
Examples of Usage
- Verb:
- Missionaries attempted to civilize the remote tribe. (They tried to introduce the tribe to modern customs, education, and social organization.)
- Reading great literature can help to civilize the mind. (It can refine one's thoughts and improve one's taste.)
- The program aimed to civilize the rough manners of the young recruits. (It sought to teach them polite and acceptable social behavior.)
Advanced Usage
- "to civilize away": To eliminate or eradicate (a primitive custom or practice) through the process of civilization.
- They hoped to civilize away the ancient and harmful tradition.
- Used in sociological or historical contexts to discuss the process of societal development, often with an awareness of the term's potentially ethnocentric implications.
Variants and Related Words
- Civilization (n): An advanced state of human society, or the process of achieving it.
- Civilized (adj): Characteristic of a civilization; polite, well-mannered.
- Civil (adj): Polite, courteous; relating to citizens or the state.
- Civilise (v): British English spelling variant of 'civilize'.
Synonyms
- Educate: To provide intellectual or moral instruction.
- Cultivate: To refine or improve through education and training.
- Enlighten: To give intellectual or spiritual insight.
- Refine: To remove impurities or coarseness; to make more polished.
Antonyms
- Barbarize: To make or become barbarous or uncivilized.
- Corrupt: To cause to become morally depraved.
- Debase: To reduce in quality, character, or value.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To civilize the masses: (Often used historically or critically) Refers to efforts to educate and impose the cultural standards of a dominant group upon a broader population.
- The colonial policy was framed as a mission to civilize the masses.
Verb
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raise from a barbaric to a civilized state
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The wild child found wandering in the forest was gradually civilized
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teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment
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Cultivate your musical taste
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Train your tastebuds
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She is well schooled in poetry
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