constitutionalize

[ kon-sti-too-shuh-nl-ahyz, -tyoo- ]

verb (used with object)

, con·sti·tu·tion·al·ized, con·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·ing.

1. to incorporate in a constitution; make constitutional.
2. to provide a constitution for.

Other Words From

• consti·tution·al·i·zation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of constitutionalize¹

First recorded in 1825–35; constitutional + -ize

Example Sentences

The struggle to constitutionalize equal rights was one of the most important for the Black community after the Civil War.

From Salon

“We have an extremist Supreme Court on the 2nd Amendment and I think they are looking to constitutionalize all sorts of laws that touch on guns,” Feldman says.

From Los Angeles Times

But once you have nationalized and constitutionalized an issue, it is not so easy to adapt your position or your arguments.

From New York Times

There is a separate "law of abortion," as Roe's author, Justice Harry A. Blackmun, put it, that distorts or ignores ordinary legal rules so to preserve constitutionalized abortion.

From Salon

There is a separate “law of abortion,” as Roe’s author, Justice Harry A. Blackmun, put it, that distorts or ignores ordinary legal rules so to preserve constitutionalized abortion.

From Washington Post