italicize

especially British, i·tal·i·cise

[ih-tal-uh-sahyz, ahy-tal-]

verb (used with object)

italicized, italicizing 

1. to print in italic type.

2. to underscore with a single line, as in indicating italics.

verb (used without object)

italicized, italicizing 

1. to use italics.

italicize

/ ɪˈtælɪˌsaɪz /

verb

1. to print (textual matter) in italic type

2. (tr) to underline (letters, words, etc) with a single line to indicate italics

Other Word Forms

• italicization noun
• unitalicized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of italicize¹

First recorded in 1785–95; italic + -ize

Example Sentences

His first major book, “In Our Time,” published a century ago this month, includes 14 short stories and 16 intense italicized single-page interchapters between the stories.

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The skips in time that occur in the play are unnecessarily italicized.

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There’s a little too much mugging, italicizing and elbow-nudging, as if we might not be able to enjoy Sondheim’s unsparing wit on our own.

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The ensemble recreates the communal energy of the characters, though sometimes what’s italicized in the script might have been more potently conveyed with underplaying.

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In a startlingly modern conception, the negative space of Claudel’s abrupt amputation exposes — and italicizes — the human body’s dense, inescapable physicality.

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