westernize

[ wes-ter-nahyz ]

verb (used with object),west·ern·ized, west·ern·iz·ing.

to influence with ideas, customs, practices, etc., characteristic of Europe and North America.

Origin of westernize

First recorded in 1830–40; western + -ize

Also especially British, west·ern·ise .

Other words from westernize

west·ern·i·za·tion; especially British, west·ern·i·sa·tion [wes-ter-nahy-zey-shuhn], /ˌwɛs tər naɪˈzeɪ ʃən/, noun
un·west·ern·ized; especially British, un·west·ern·ised, adjective

Words Nearby westernize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use westernize in a sentence

Officials tried to westernize him, including by attempting to comb his hair flat, and falsely told him his parents had died in a house fire.
Archie Roach, a mesmerizing voice of Indigenous Australia, dies at 66 | Harrison Smith | August 4, 2022 | Washington Post

British Dictionary definitions for westernize

westernize

westernise

/ (ˈwɛstəˌnaɪz) /

verb

(tr) to influence or make familiar with the customs, practices, etc, of the West

Derived forms of westernize

westernization or westernisation, 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

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