Verb: civilize 'si-vu,lI
- Raise from a barbaric to a civilized state
"The wild child found wandering in the forest was gradually civilized";
- civilise [Brit]
- Teach or refine to be discriminative in taste or judgment
"Travel civilized the young prince";
- educate, school, train, cultivate, civilise [Brit]
Derived forms: civilized, civilizes, civilizing
Type of: alter, change, down [informal], fine-tune, modify, polish, refine
Encyclopedia: Civilize