Meanings
present singular third person galvanizes · participle present galvanizing · participle past galvanized · past galvanized · alternative UK galvanise
- broadlydatedtransitiveTo coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means.
Synonyms: electrogalvanize, electroplate
- broadlydatedtransitiveusuallyTo coat with a layer of zinc (for rust resistance) by electrochemical means.
We then galvanize the steel so that the zinc coating will sacrificially take the corrosion for many years.
Synonyms: electrogalvanize, electroplate, electrogalvanize, zinc
- figurativelytransitiveTo shock or stimulate into sudden activity, as if by electric shock.
Republicans are hoping a proposed gas-tax repeal will galvanize their voters.
3 more examples
The girl’s picture helped galvanize public opinion against the administration’s policy.
The arrival of the kett stunned and then divided the angara. As described by Jaal, infighting was used as a means of conquest by the kett, but the presence of a common enemy eventually galvanized the angara to work together. The various resistance groups merged into the organized Angaran Resistance roughly five years ago under Evfra de Tershaav's command, supported by prominent families and determined to stop their kett oppressors.
2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Angara: The Resistance Codex entryU.S. President Donald Trump’s bombshell proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate its Palestinian inhabitants has made the forced transfer of populations – a war crime – a policy discussion, galvanizing Arab states.
2025 February 6, Taylor Luck, Ghada Abdulfattah, “How Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza has united an outraged Arab world”, in The Christian Science MonitorSynonyms: animate, electrify, startle, urge, animate, awaken, electrify, enflame
- archaictransitiveTo electrify, as by galvanism.
The agitations resembled the grinnings and writhings of a galvanized corpse, not the struggles of an athletic man.
1835, Thomas Babington Macaulay, History (essay in the Edinburgh Review)Synonyms: electricalize, electricize, electrize
- UShistoricaltransitiveTo switch sides between Union and Confederate in the American Civil War.
Reenactors called this “galvanizing,” the Civil War term for soldiers who switched sides during the conflict.
1998, Tony Horwitz, Confederates in the Attic, 1st Vintage Departures edition, Vintage Books, →ISBN, page 10
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo coat with a layer of metal by electrochemical means.
verbTo coat with a layer of zinc (for rust resistance) by electrochemical means.
verbTo shock or stimulate into sudden activity, as if by electric shock.
verbTo electrify, as by galvanism.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchgalvaniser
- Frenchgalvaniser
- Englishgalvanize
Learned borrowing from French galvaniser. By surface analysis, galvano- + -ize. Named after Italian physiologist Luigi Aloisio Galvani (1737–1798).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian поцинковам, съживявам
- поцинковам (pocinkovam)to coat with rust-resistant zinc
- съживявам (săživjavam)to shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- съживя (săživja)to shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- оживявам (oživjavam)to shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- оживя (oživja)to shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- галванизирам (galvaniziram)to coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Catalan galvanitzar, galvanitzar
- galvanitzarto coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvanitzarto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvanitzarto coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Chinese Mandarin 鍍鋅 /镀锌, 電鍍 /电镀
- 鍍鋅 /镀锌 (dùxīn)to coat with rust-resistant zinc
- 電鍍 /电镀 (diàndù)to coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Czech galvanizovat
- galvanizovatto coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Danish forzinke, galvanisere
- forzinketo coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvanisereto coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvanisereto coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Dutch verzinken, galvaniseren
- verzinkento coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvaniserento coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
- verzinkento coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Esperanto galvanizi, galvanizi
- galvanizito coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvanizito shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvanizito coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Estonian galvaniseerima, galvaniseerima
- galvaniseerimato coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvaniseerimato shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvaniseerimato coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Finnish galvanoida, sähköistää
- galvanoidato coat with rust-resistant zinc
- sähköistääto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvanoidato coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
French galvaniser, galvaniser
- galvaniserto coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvaniserto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvaniserto coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
German verzinken, aufrütteln
- verzinkento coat with rust-resistant zinc
- aufrüttelnto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- aufschreckento shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- wachrüttelnto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- einen Impuls setzento shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- belebento shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvanisierento coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Greek γαλβανίζω, ξεσηκώνω
- γαλβανίζω (galvanízo)to coat with rust-resistant zinc
- ξεσηκώνω (xesikóno)to shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- γαλβανίζω (galvanízo)to coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Italian galvanizzare, galvanizzare
- galvanizzareto coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvanizzareto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- stimolareto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- spingereto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- incitareto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- spronareto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- elettrizzareto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvanizzareto coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Japanese 活性化する
- 活性化する (kasseika suru)to coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Norwegian Bokmål forsinke
- forsinketo coat with rust-resistant zinc
Portuguese galvanizar, galvanizar
- galvanizarto coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvanizarto coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Russian оцинко́вывать, оцинкова́ть
- оцинко́вывать (ocinkóvyvatʹ)to coat with rust-resistant zinc
- оцинкова́ть (ocinkovátʹ)to coat with rust-resistant zinc
- оживля́ть (oživljátʹ)to shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- оживи́ть (oživítʹ)to shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- гальванизи́ровать (galʹvanizírovatʹ)to coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Spanish galvanizar, galvanizar
- galvanizarto coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvanizarto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- espabilarto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- asustarto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- estimularto shock or stimulate into sudden activity
- galvanizarto coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Swedish galvanisera, galvanisera
- galvaniserato coat with rust-resistant zinc
- galvaniserato coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means
Cite this entry
galvanize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galvanize
“galvanize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galvanize. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “galvanize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galvanize.
Source: galvanize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.