contextualize

especially British, con·tex·tu·al·ise

[kuhn-teks-choo-uh-lahyz]

verb (used with object)

contextualized, contextualizing 

1. to put (a linguistic element, an action, etc.) in a context, especially one that is characteristic or appropriate, as for purposes of study.

contextualize

/ kənˈtɛkstjʊəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to state the social, grammatical, or other context of; put into context

Other Word Forms

• contextualization noun
• noncontextualized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contextualize¹

First recorded in 1930–35; contextual + -ize

Example Sentences

What you can see at the Deitch show, running through Jan. 17, is an artist contextualizing the people he loves within art history, while preserving their legacies for the record.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Citizens are citing executive actions, federal deployments and enforcement orders to contextualize the warning.

Read more on Salon

“You have to contextualize….‘This is how many mammograms that translates into,’ ” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yang received the Vantage Award, “honoring an artist or scholar who has helped to contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Set against this backdrop, investors have increasingly been asking how to contextualize Rocket Lab’s valuation, according to Morgan Stanley’s Liwag.

Read more on MarketWatch