revolutionize

American  

[rev-uh-loo-shuh-nahyz] / ˌrɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnaɪz /

especially British, revolutionise

verb (used with object)

revolutionized, revolutionizing

1. to bring about a revolution in; effect a radical change in.

   to revolutionize petroleum refining methods.

2. to subject to a political revolution.

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revolutionize British  

/ ˌrɛvəˈluːʃəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to bring about a radical change in

   science has revolutionized civilization

2. to inspire or infect with revolutionary ideas

   they revolutionized the common soldiers

3. to cause a revolution in (a country, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-revolutionized adjective
• revolutionizer noun
• unrevolutionized adjective

Etymology

Origin of revolutionize

First recorded in 1790–1800; revolution + -ize

Explanation

Revolutionize, a verb, means "to make a major change," like in the 1990s, when the Internet revolutionized how people communicated, got information and even did their jobs. Things were never the same again. Use revolutionize to describe something that is completely transformed. Originally, it meant "to bring about sweeping political change," like people who band together and fight to revolutionize a nation, with the end result being a new party in power or new philosophies about things like land ownership or tax collection put in place. In time, it also came to mean even nonpolitical change, like the digital music player, which revolutionized how people get and listen to music.

Example Sentences

By most accounts, the HIV drug lenacapavir is so effective in preventing infection and treating HIV-positive patients that it could revolutionize the fight against AIDS.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

It left me to ponder, how do you know if you’re the Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan of curling or the next great star to revolutionize the sport?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

The plan was presented to DOT staff last month at a demonstration of AI’s “potential to revolutionize the way we draft rulemakings,” agency attorney Daniel Cohen wrote to colleagues.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026

Other navies and defense companies, including the U.S., are rushing to develop such technologies in a bet that they can revolutionize underwater warfare in the way that aerial drones have in the skies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

But it would also revolutionize the ordinary person’s understanding of the laws that govern the universe.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking