civilize

as in to cultivate

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of civilize The Founding Fathers wanted to civilize a country made up of institutional racists, rabid misogynists and bible-thumping Christians who soon added myths of manly gunslingers and stalwart pioneers to the cultural identity. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 Nov. 2024 Black religions, like Vodou and Santería, became key targets in this civilizing mission, demonized as pagan, savage, and dangerous. Aisha M. Beliso-De Jesús / Made By History, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024 Parking is torturous enough through the Melrose corridor on the weekdays, plus giving a restaurant staff off on Saturday and Sunday seems boldly civilized. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024 The violence that the banana goliath’s civilizing mission unleashes upon the Colombian landscape and its people is not a bug. Eduardo Porter, Washington Post, 1 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for civilize

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“Civilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civilize. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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