modernize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to make modern in appearance or style
to modernize a room
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(intr) to adopt modern ways, ideas, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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modernizesimple
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modernizessimple
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have modernizedperfect
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has modernizedperfect
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am modernizingprogressive
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are modernizingprogressive
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is modernizingprogressive
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have been modernizingperfect progressive
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has been modernizingperfect progressive
Past
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modernizedsimple
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had modernizedperfect
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was modernizingprogressive
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were modernizingprogressive
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had been modernizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of modernize
First recorded in 1740–50; modern(ism) + -ize
Explanation
To modernize is to adjust or improve something, especially in a way that uses new technology. You might modernize your grandmother's kitchen by buying her a microwave and an espresso machine. When you modernize something, you bring it up to date. You could modernize your office by buying new computers, for example, or modernize your antique car by installing seat belts and a stereo. At the heart of modernize is the adjective modern, "relating to the present time" or "up-to-date." In Shakepeare, the word modern is often used to mean "ordinary," although today there's more of a sense of "the very latest technology."
Vocabulary lists containing modernize
Automobiles
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Absolutism and Enlightenment, Lessons 1–4
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for December 18–December 24, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’d take the variety show, this most traditional format, and modernize it.
From Salon • Jul. 5, 2026
Without USMCA, the analysts caution that the capital needed to expand and modernize energy infrastructure could dry up.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
The crash occurred shortly after takeoff in what military officials said was supposed to be a test flight to update the B-52’s radar, and a wider effort to modernize the 70-year-old heavy bomber fleet.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
Funds can be used to repair, modernize or remove health and safety hazards.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
In 1876, elected President of Bowdoin College, where he attempts to modernize the school, introducing courses in science, de-emphasizing religion, and becomes involved in student demonstrations over the question of ROTC.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
