modernize

American

[mod-er-nahyz] / ˈmɒd ərˌnaɪz /

especially British, modernise

verb (used with object)

modernized, modernizing

to make modern; give a new or modern character or appearance to: to modernize a kitchen.

to modernize one's ideas;
to modernize a kitchen.

Synonyms:

update, refurbish, renovate

verb (used without object)

modernized, modernizing

to become modern; adopt modern ways, views, etc.

modernize British

/ ˈmɒdəˌnaɪz /

verb

(tr) to make modern in appearance or style

to modernize a room
(intr) to adopt modern ways, ideas, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

modernization noun
modernizer noun
overmodernize verb
remodernize verb
unmodernized adjective

Etymology

Origin of modernize

First recorded in 1740–50; modern(ism) + -ize

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023