-ize
Turns nouns active
A suffix that turns nouns and adjectives into verbs, typically meaning to make or become something: modernize, legalize, crystallize.
It can also mean to treat in a certain way ostracize, to act like tyrannize, or to subject to a process pasteurize.
British English often spells it -ise, though both forms appear in both dialects.
Extremely productive—new coinages appear constantly: incentivize, weaponize, prioritize.
Form into ordered structure
- conceptualizeForm a mental picture
- theorizeForm explanatory suppositions
- hypothesizePropose a tentative explanation
- systematizeArrange into ordered structure
itemize · alphabetize · personalize · actualize · concretize
Adopt beliefs as one's own
- externalizeExpress inwardly held feelings
- institutionalizeEstablish as norm
- legitimizeMake lawful or valid
- acclimatizeAdjust to new conditions
socialize · fraternize · patronize · colonize · sympathize · empathize · idolize · idealize
Make unsteady or insecure
- sterilizeEliminate all microorganisms
- sanitizeCleanse of pathogens
- pasteurizeHeat-treat for safety
- fertilizeAdd nutrients to soil
galvanize · tranquilize · traumatize · victimize · ostracize · stigmatize · marginalize · demoralize
Convert to electronic format
- urbanizeMake into city
- westernizeAdopt Euro-American cultural practices
- AmericanizeAdapt to US culture
- globalizeMake worldwide in scope
formalize · professionalize · monetize · weaponize · militarize · radicalize · polarize · politicize
Speak with moral authority
- philosophizeThink about existence abstractly
- moralizePontificate about ethics
- evangelizeSpread religious doctrine actively
- proselytizeAdvocate one's beliefs
soliloquize · editorialize · hypothesize · theorize · plagiarize · satirize · eulogize · rhapsodize
crystallize
Form into ordered structure
- conceptualizeForm a mental picture
- theorizeForm explanatory suppositions
- hypothesizePropose a tentative explanation
systematize · itemize · alphabetize · personalize · actualize · concretize
internalize
Adopt beliefs as one's own
- externalizeExpress inwardly held feelings
- institutionalizeEstablish as norm
- legitimizeMake lawful or valid
acclimatize · socialize · fraternize · patronize · colonize · sympathize · empathize · idolize · idealize · romanticize
destabilize
Make unsteady or insecure
- sterilizeEliminate all microorganisms
- sanitizeCleanse of pathogens
- pasteurizeHeat-treat for safety
fertilize · galvanize · tranquilize · traumatize · victimize · ostracize · stigmatize · marginalize · demoralize · antagonize
digitize
Convert to electronic format
- urbanizeMake into city
- westernizeAdopt Euro-American cultural practices
- AmericanizeAdapt to US culture
globalize · formalize · professionalize · monetize · weaponize · militarize · radicalize · polarize · politicize · secularize
sermonize
Speak with moral authority
- philosophizeThink about existence abstractly
- moralizePontificate about ethics
- evangelizeSpread religious doctrine actively
proselytize · soliloquize · editorialize · hypothesize · theorize · plagiarize · satirize · eulogize · rhapsodize · poeticize
realize, recognize, organize, baptize, criticize, symbolize, synthesize, civilize, rationalize