internalize

American  

[in-tur-nl-ahyz] / ɪnˈtɜr nlˌaɪz /

especially British, internalise

verb (used with object)

• internalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• internalized,
  past participle,  past
• internalizing
  present participle

1. to incorporate (the cultural values, mores, motives, etc., of another or of a group), as through learning, socialization, or identification.

2. to make subjective or give a subjective character to.

3. Linguistics. to acquire (a linguistic rule, structure, etc.) as part of one's language competence.

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internalize British  

/ ɪnˈtɜːnəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. Also: interiorize.  (tr) psychol sociol to make internal, esp to incorporate within oneself (values, attitudes, etc) through learning or socialization Compare introject

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• internalization
  noun
• quasi-internalized
  adjective
• semi-internalized
  adjective
• uninternalized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• internalizing
  present
• internalized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• internalize
  simple
• internalizes
  simple
• have internalized
  perfect
• has internalized
  perfect
• am internalizing
  progressive
• are internalizing
  progressive
• is internalizing
  progressive
• have been internalizing
  perfect progressive
• has been internalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• internalized
  simple
• had internalized
  perfect
• was internalizing
  progressive
• were internalizing
  progressive
• had been internalizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will internalize
  simple
• will have internalized
  perfect
• will be internalizing
  progressive
• will have been internalizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of internalize

First recorded in 1940–45; internal + -ize

Explanation

If you feel anger, pain, fear or hurt but never show it, you internalize it — you keep it inside. If you think about the prefix inter- which always indicated something within, you have the meaning of the adjective internalize, "to keep or take something in." It can be used in either a positive or negative way. If you are a debater who internalizes a topic, then you know it inside and out. On the other hand, you're not doing yourself any favors if you internalize your guilt.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

internalize internalizes internalized internalizing

Such adjustments can take months to internalize, which is why specific drills are prescribed to reinforce changes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

“They are unavoidable. You cannot internalize them and let them chip away at your self-worth.”

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 28, 2026

It’s important to do your own research and internalize why you own a stock.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

This is what many women will internalize, and they will behave accordingly.

From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2025

This helps students internalize the beat and phrases of the song.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Guided by previous research of spider brains, the scientists uncovered evidence of a "waste canal system" in the human brain that internalizes waste from healthy neurons.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024

Jean-Baptiste plays a woman who doles out misery and also, crucially, internalizes it, giving the character a humanity and sadness that’s absolutely transcendent.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024

He only internalizes the doubt enough to let it fire him up.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

“I don’t think she internalizes it. I don’t think it becomes this emotional burden to her. I think it’s just like, ‘OK, cool, I got you,’ and I admire that.

From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021

So in his family of origin man internalizes ideas of "right-wrong," "appropriate-inappropriate," "expected-unexpected."

From Humanistic Nursing by Josephine G. Paterson

Ford has internalized the humanity of filmmakers like Mike Leigh, Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Jim Jarmusch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

"Rigid and persistent symptoms, such as paranoid ideas or an internalized critical voice, may be stable but not very flexible prediction models," says Stänicke.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026

Though Village People singer and songwriter Victor Willis has denied the queer interpretation of the song many times over, one of the people who hasn’t internalized that historical correction is Trump himself.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Once that rule is internalized, it spreads and becomes the new norm.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

As much as I found Robbie to be snippy and inflexible, I’d also internalized her devotion to rigor.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

“It ignored the young patients who would be in her clinic, exposed to her speech, and susceptible to internalizing ideas that may scar them for life,” they wrote.

From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2026

Europe is moving toward internalizing security costs and building fiscal capacity.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026

“For Nvidia, the long-term risk isn’t just rival chips, but key customers like Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and others steadily internalizing more of the value chain,” Dalfovo said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025

Even as I was coming out, I was still internalizing shame.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

The song B-I-N-G-O is an excellent example in which to practice internalizing the pitch since the singer has to clap the rhythm and silently think the pitch in their head.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin