modernize

verb

mod·​ern·​ize ˈmä-dər-ˌnīz 

modernized; modernizing

transitive verb

: to make modern (as in taste, style, or usage)

intransitive verb

: to adopt modern ways

modernizer noun

Synonyms

• contemporize
• streamline
• update

Examples of modernize in a Sentence

We're modernizing our kitchen with a new oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher.

The country recently announced plans to begin modernizing its army.

The school needs a building with modernized classrooms.

Older companies will need to modernize quickly if they are to survive in today's economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Like the French painter modernizing the 19th century tradition of a subservient and reclining female figure for the assertive 20th century, the American artist inserts contemporary signals, including photographic collage and rhinestones, to update and remake the theme for the 21st century. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

Under leadership hired in early 2023, Little Rock Public Radio -- Central Arkansas' National Public Radio network affiliate -- is moving to a new location and revamping their infrastructure in a push to modernize the station. —Amir Mahmoud, arkansasonline.com, 8 Dec. 2024

Until 1983, when Pope John Paul II attempted to modernize the process, a Cause could not even be opened until the candidate had been dead for 50 years. —Seyward Darby, Longreads, 4 Dec. 2024

Some of the earliest pleas for change came from local physicians and state health officials, alarmed by Idaho’s refusal to modernize its approach to death investigations. —Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

modernize

verb

mod·​ern·​ize ˈmäd-ər-ˌnīz 

modernized; modernizing

: to make or become modern

especially : to change to suit present styles, tastes, or needs

modernization

ˌmäd-ər-nə-ˈzā-shən

noun

modernizer

ˈmäd-ər-ˌnī-zər

noun