personalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to have marked with one's initials, name, or monogram.
to personalize stationery.
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to make personal, as by applying a general statement to oneself.
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to ascribe personal qualities to; personify.
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to design or tailor to meet an individual's specifications, needs, or preferences.
a personalized search engine;
personalized learning.
verb
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to endow with personal or individual qualities or characteristics
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to mark (stationery, clothing, etc) with a person's initials, name, etc
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to take (a remark, etc) personally
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another word for personify
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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personalizesimple
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personalizessimple
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have personalizedperfect
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has personalizedperfect
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am personalizingprogressive
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are personalizingprogressive
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is personalizingprogressive
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have been personalizingperfect progressive
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has been personalizingperfect progressive
Past
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personalizedsimple
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had personalizedperfect
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was personalizingprogressive
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were personalizingprogressive
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had been personalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of personalize
Explanation
To personalize is to design something (or change it) so it's distinctly suited for one specific individual. You can personalize your locker by taping up family photos, or personalize your water bottle by writing your name on it in permanent marker. The verb personalize is often used to mean "make to meet your specific requirements," so a hotel might personalize your visit by leaving a note with chocolates on your pillow, or a barista might personalize your latte with a design on top that's specially made for you. You can also personalize things by putting a person's name or initials on them: "I bought letter patches so we can personalize our backpacks."
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 company said it does not engage in surveillance pricing, nor does it personalize fares for individual customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
"We and others have developed technology that could be used to both personalize and deliver this intervention in a clinical setting using mobile sensors, like smartphone video and a 'smart shoe'," Uhlrich said.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
Updating hardware like cabinet handles, showerheads and doorknobs is an inexpensive way to personalize your space and add character, says Monique Valeris, home-design director at the Good Housekeeping Institute.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
AI-powered virtual assistants manage tee-time bookings, personalize offers and gather golfer data for courses, while apps improve player performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
And we all know how successful Strunk and White were in forbidding to personalize, to contact, and six people.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Your image of the virtual self personalizes your financial journey.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
Cincinnati-based Kroger is testing Google’s shopping agent, which helps customers compare grocery items, personalizes their shopping experience and can handle purchasing, according to Yael Cosset, the company’s chief digital officer and executive vice president.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
“Dance First” may not be especially Beckettian, but it personalizes a figure who, destined for the pantheon, never doubted that he was human — all too human.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2024
"It not only simplifies treatment by exploring single-dose schedules of antibody-drug conjugates but can also reduce side effects by minimizing the number of doses required. Additionally, it personalizes therapy using molecular imaging, enhancing treatment efficacy."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2023
Love, pity, personalizes everything, we have said; in discovering the suffering in everything and in personalizing everything, it personalizes the Universe itself as well—for the Universe also suffers—and it discovers God to us.
From Tragic Sense Of Life by Flitch, J. E. Crawford (John Ernest Crawford)
"Understanding the biological, behavioral, and social factors that promote exceptional cognitive aging may ultimately complement traditional disease-focused approaches and help inform more personalized strategies for supporting brain health across the lifespan."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
The results showed that CardiOmicScore could turn complex molecular measurements into personalized estimates of cardiovascular risk.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Banks — and especially community banks that will go on to actually service the mortgage — can also offer more personalized service.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Viewing games will be more personalized, interactive and immersive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
I hadn’t had a personalized death premonition or anything like that, but I knew that sooner or later it would be my turn to go.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
There’s also been a wave of new research aimed at personalizing care.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026
You can do a lot, even just with your own personalizing of the app, to remind yourself that we’re all human in the end, and human interaction is also very healthy for us all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025
Her unorthodox personalizing of the chimps was particularly controversial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
The findings are a major step in personalizing cancer treatment and inspiring novel therapies that target and inhibit ARID1A and its protein complex.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
Grandma had stitched illustrations of my palm print into the dashiki, personalizing it to me.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
