sanitize

[san-i-tahyz]

See more synonyms for sanitize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), san·i·tized, san·i·tiz·ing.

to free from dirt, germs, etc., as by cleaning or sterilizing.
to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, incriminating, etc.: to sanitize a document before releasing it to the press.

Also especially British, san·i·tise.

Origin of sanitize

First recorded in 1830–40; sanit(ary) + -ize

Related formssan·i·ti·za·tion, nounun·san·i·tized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sanitized

dry, desolate, bare, waste, desert, empty, pasteurized, antiseptic, arid, aseptic, barren, bleak, dead, effete, fallow, fruitless, futile, gaunt, hygienic

Examples from the Web for sanitized

Contemporary Examples of sanitized

Between runs, transport trucks not only must be cleaned, they now have to be sanitized.
Aporkalypse Now: Pig-Killing Virus Could Mean the End of Bacon
Carrie Arnold
August 20, 2014
Death and suffering must have dignity, and it must be sanitized.
To Truly Shame Putin, Show Us the Bodies of MH17
Tim Teeman
July 22, 2014
Is this ignorant and sanitized speech truly a windfall for feminism?
Lana Del Rey and the Fault in Our ‘Feminist’ Stars
Amy Zimmerman
June 11, 2014
Don't be fooled by the soft, sanitized, and safe version of Dr. King.
We Need MLK’s Revolutionary Spirit
Roland S. Martin
January 20, 2014
Barbie, naturally, presented a sanitized version of his history.
Week in Death: Earl Browning, the Moral Spy
The Telegraph
November 10, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for sanitized

sanitize

sanitise

verb (tr)

to make sanitary or hygienic, as by sterilizing
to omit unpleasant details from (a news report, document, etc) to make it more palatable to the recipients

Derived Formssanitization or sanitisation, noun

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

Word Origin and History for sanitized

sanitize

1836, from stem of sanitary + -ize. Metaphoric sense is from 1934. Related: Sanitized; sanitizing.