homogenize

verb

ho·​mog·​e·​nize hō-ˈmä-jə-ˌnīz 

hə-

homogenized; homogenizing

transitive verb

1

a

: to blend (diverse elements) into a mixture that is the same throughout

b

: to make uniform in structure or composition throughout : to make homogeneous

2

a

: to reduce to small particles of uniform size and distribute evenly usually in a liquid

b

: to reduce the particles of so that they are uniformly small and evenly distributed

specifically : to break up the fat globules of (milk) into very fine particles

As a chemist, he developed equipment to homogenize milk

—Matt Stiles

intransitive verb

: to become uniform in structure or composition throughout : to become homogenized

homogenizer noun

Synonyms

• formalize
• normalize
• regularize
• standardize

Examples of homogenize in a Sentence

The new curriculum is an attempt to homogenize education throughout the county.

plans to homogenize the science curriculum in public high schools throughout the state

Recent Examples on the Web

Seeing America in 1900 Posters and postcards showcasing unique destinations and sights in the United States helped homogenize the tourist landscape of the early twentieth century. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

But if true art is an instrument for transcendence and cognitive freedom, then artifice—art’s look-alike—is a homogenizing force that blocks off possibilities and alternate modes of being. —John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024

American federal actors enjoy far greater fiscal resources than their EU counterparts and use them to fund federal deposit insurance that substantially homogenizes the conditions for banking across the United States. —Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022

Several movements are confronting this homogenizing tendency. —Ashish Kothari, Scientific American, 1 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

see homogeneous

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

homogenize

verb

ho·​mog·​e·​nize hō-ˈmäj-ə-ˌnīz 

hə-

homogenized; homogenizing

1

: to make homogeneous

2

a

: to reduce to small particles of uniform size and distribute evenly

homogenize peanut butter

homogenize paint

b

: to break up the fat of (milk) into very fine particles

homogenization

-ˌmäj-ə-nə-ˈzā-shən

noun

homogenizer

-ˈmäj-ə-ˌnī-zər

noun

Medical Definition

homogenize

verb

ho·​mog·​e·​nize

variants also British homogenise

hō-ˈmäj-ə-ˌnīz, hə- 

homogenized also British homogenised; homogenizing also British homogenising

transitive verb

1

: to make homogeneous

2

a

: to reduce to small particles of uniform size and distribute evenly usually in a liquid

b

: to reduce the particles of so that they are uniformly small and evenly distributed

specifically : to break up the fat globules of (milk) into very fine particles especially by forcing through minute openings

intransitive verb

: to become homogenized