Orientalize

American  

[awr-ee-en-tl-ahyz, ohr-] / ˌɔr iˈɛn tlˌaɪz, ˌoʊr- /

especially British, Orientalise

verb (used with or without object)

(often lowercase)

Orientalized, Orientalizing

1. to make or become Asian, especially East Asian.

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Orientalize British  

/ ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to make, become, or treat as Oriental

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Other Word Forms

• Orientalization noun

Etymology

Origin of Orientalize

First recorded in 1815–25; oriental + -ize

Example Sentences

And sudden international interest in Turkish art, many suggest, can tempt artists to Orientalize themselves, to make their art explicitly “Turkish” from a Western perspective, in response to the needs of the market.

From New York Times

Rama's efforts to Orientalize Europe's recent social and intellectual history are puzzling.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was a determined purpose to Orientalize his empire.

From Project Gutenberg

She died like a soldier, on duty and at her post, bravely defending the social and political traditions of the Roman aristocracy and the time-honored principles of Romanism against the influx of those new forces of a later age which were seeking to orientalize the ancient Latin republic.

From Project Gutenberg

In a letter dated November, 1852, Mr. Arnold speaks of the figures in his poem as follows: "I can only say that I took a great deal of trouble to orientalize them, because I thought they looked strange, and jarred, if western."

From Project Gutenberg