civilize

as in to cultivate

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Recent Examples of civilize Colonialism, once equated by the West with civilizing progress, became synonymous with iniquity. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2023 The transition from raw wood to finished object also speaks to traditional ideas of civilizing — something education is supposed to do — and to humans’ vast debt to nature. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 14 July 2023 Advertisement The history of human-nonhuman relations in cities is as old as cities themselves, but urban dwellers and ecologists have often missed this story because cities are supposed to be civilized, tame, the opposite of wild. Kate Brown, Washington Post, 26 June 2023 Book Now Brigit Bakery's Classic Afternoon Tea Bus Tea is meant to be civilized, but that's not necessarily to the exclusion of some comfortable multitasking. Sarah Bray, Town & Country, 21 June 2023 See all Example Sentences for civilize 

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Cite this Entry

“Civilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civilize. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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