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Showing results for normalize. Search instead for normalised.
Synonyms

normalize

American  
[nawr-muh-lahyz] / ˈnɔr məˌlaɪz /
especially British, normalise

verb (used with object)

  • normalizes,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • normalized,
    past participle,  past
  • normalizing
    present participle
  1. to make normal.

    Traditional Chinese medicine uses ginseng to normalize blood pressure.

  2. to cause (something previously considered abnormal or unacceptable) to be treated as normal.

    I have to resist the impulse to normalize her eccentricities.

  3. to establish or resume (relations) in a normal manner, as between countries.

  4. Statistics. to mathematically transform or adjust (the values in a data set) so that they fit a standard measure or scale, such as by making all the values fall between 0 and 1.

    Data was normalized before analysis.

  5. Metallurgy. to heat (a steel alloy) to a suitable temperature above the transformation range and then cool it in still air at ambient temperature.


verb (used without object)

  • normalizes,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • normalized,
    past participle,  past
  • normalizing
    present participle
  1. to become normal; resume a normal state.

    Prices soon normalized after the war.

normalize British  
/ ˈnɔːməˌlaɪz /

verb

  1. to bring or make into the normal state

  2. to bring into conformity with a standard

  3. to heat (steel) above a critical temperature and allow it to cool in air to relieve internal stresses; anneal

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

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Conjugated Forms

Present

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Future


Etymology

Origin of normalize

First recorded in 1860–65; normal + -ize


Explanation

If it's out of whack, totally crazy and absolutely bizarre, it should probably be normalized, or put back into a normal state. Something that's been normalized has been put back to normal, whether you're talking about the weather pattern or your sleep habits. Someone who likes to keep things in order is probably a fan of the word normalize. Stock brokers, for example, hate it when the stock market takes them on a wild, unpredictable ride; they'd much rather have things normalize and settle down.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing normalize

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.

See Examples For:

The only way to normalize it is we have to get comfortable talking about like it is not something different.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

“I won’t normalize somebody who said my childhood is just something I’m complaining about,” Acton said in a Tuesday appearance on Spectrum News.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

However, Windsor said, the market may normalize, possibly as soon as next year, and the price per gigawatt could drop to around $20 billion — eating into SpaceX’s margins.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

The company also noted in its late-July earnings report that its marketing spending levels will normalize in the second half of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

They spent so much time trying to normalize her life that Maya sometimes felt like she was anything but normal.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

Still, consumer advocates warn that introducing probabilistic rewards into daily retail purchases normalizes speculative risk in everyday life.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Our biggest call…on the assumption of an unrestricted Hormuz, is that the oil market normalizes far quicker than consensus expects,” Macquarie strategist Peter Taylor wrote in a research note.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

“It normalizes the use of AI replicas and synthetic performers rather than drawing a firm line protecting human performers and their jobs,” said Chuck Slavin, a background actor and performer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

The yield curve is expected to gradually stabilize into 2027 as economic growth continues and inflation normalizes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Nichols normalizes the text, spells out several names in full, and adds several unimportant notes.

From Two Poems Against Pope One Epistle to Mr. A. Pope and the Blatant Beast by J. V. (Joseph V.) Guerinot

But he said he thinks expectations have now normalized after the miss in the second quarter.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

But we’ve allowed him to become normalized in a way.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

Newspaper ads for brides were normalized and proliferated in 19th century America.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

The combination of a good proportion of diabetics getting back to normalized glucose levels and achieving sustained weight loss with enicepatide give the drug a competitive profile, Schneider says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

It was a breathtaking moment, for in one sweeping action he had virtually normalized the situation in South Africa.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

By the end, he managed to orchestrate the Abraham Accords, an agreement normalizing diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Israel.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

These accords involve Arab or Muslim countries normalizing relations with Israel.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

Despite the potential blockade to come, analysts at Citigroup maintain a diplomatic solution nearing soon with flows through the Strait of Hormuz normalizing.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Leaders can make it easier for workers to tell the truth by being specific, normalizing feedback and closing the loop, writes CEO coach Sabina Nawaz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

“It’s not normalizing anything if everyone just pretends they don't see it or that the tampons don't exist.”

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

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