modernize

[ mod-er-nahyz ]

/ ˈmɒd ərˌnaɪz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR modernize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mod·ern·ized, mod·ern·iz·ing.

to make modern; give a new or modern character or appearance to: to modernize one's ideas; to modernize a kitchen.

verb (used without object), mod·ern·ized, mod·ern·iz·ing.

to become modern; adopt modern ways, views, etc.

Nearby words

Also especially British, mod·ern·ise.

Origin of modernize

First recorded in 1740–50; modern(ism) + -ize

SYNONYMS FOR modernize

1. renovate, refurbish, update.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR modernize ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

mod·ern·i·za·tion, nounmod·ern·iz·er, nounan·ti·mod·ern·i·za·tion, adjectiveo·ver·mod·ern·i·za·tion, noun

o·ver·mod·ern·ize, verb, o·ver·mod·ern·ized, o·ver·mod·ern·iz·ing.re·mod·ern·i·za·tion, nounre·mod·ern·ize, verb, re·mod·ern·ized, re·mod·ern·iz·ing.un·mod·ern·ized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for modernization

Despite recent attempts at democracy and modernization, Sark is full of quirks befitting its history.
The Crazy Medieval Island of Sark|Liza Foreman|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As tourists pour in from around the world, the newly-formed democracy is trying to balance growth and modernization with heritage.
Can Traditional Bhutan Survive Tourism?|Esha Chhabra|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nearly half a mile down the mountain, the city of Medellín has its sights set on the future—on modernization, on redemption.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The palace is a place where, for all the laudible efforts at modernization and innovation, convention is still king.
Who Would Want To Be A Royal Princess? Not Cressida Bonas...|Tom Sykes|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But to spell out what that change and modernization would involve, in racial terms?
You’re in Denial if You Think Steve Israel Is Wrong About GOP Racism|Michael Tomasky|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Modernization and social reform were other strong currents permeating the literature of that time and later.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
The Frick Company will be able to hold its own for a long time against the process of modernization.
United States Steel|Arundel Cotter
But now, the altered spirit of the age has produced a new manner of modernization.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol 58, No. 357, July 1845|Various
The reforms aimed primarily at efficiency and modernization, and partially at the parliamentarization of the regime.
Government in Republican China|Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger
Its name is a modernization of Compendium, which seems to have meant the "short cut" between Soissons and Beauvais.
New York Times Current History: The European War, Vol. 8, Pt. 2, No. 1, July 1918|Various

British Dictionary definitions for modernization

modernize

modernise

/ (ˈmɒdəˌnaɪz) /

verb

(tr) to make modern in appearance or styleto modernize a room

(intr) to adopt modern ways, ideas, etc

Derived Formsmodernization or modernisation, nounmodernizer or moderniser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for modernization