civilize
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.
The idea that the Spanish arrived “to civilize is not one we should share.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
By the fifth century BCE, some of the larger villages of Macedon grew big enough to be considered cities, and elite Macedonians made efforts to civilize their country in the style of the southern Greeks.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020
Without dogs, human beings would not have been able to civilize, as they did.
From Salon • Nov. 10, 2019
Outdoor summer shows in New York go back to at least 1824, when military bands performed in Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan, part of an initiative to civilize the locals.
From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2018
"What happened to 'aye'?" "I'm trying to civilize me speech—my speech."
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Vocabulary lists containing civilize
We the People: Civ
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List 4
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All My Sons
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