macadamize

M3A1C3A1D2A1M3I1Z10E1

verb

To cover (a road) with macadam (small, broken stones) so as to form a smooth, hard, convex surface.

Scrabble 26

Meanings

verbmacadamize (third-person singular simple present macadamizes, present participle macadamizing, simple past and past participle macadamized)

present singular third person macadamizes · participle present macadamizing · participle past macadamized · past macadamized · alternative macadamise · alternative McAdamise · alternative McAdamize

  1. American and Oxford British spellingTo cover (a road) with macadam (small, broken stones) so as to form a smooth, hard, convex surface.

    Lo there what mix’d conditions run! The orphan lad; the widow’s son; And Fortune’s favour’d care— The wealthy born, for whom she hath Mac-Adamized the future path— The Nabob’s pamper’d heir!

    1824 April 10, Thomas Hood, “Ode on a distant Prospect of Clapham Academy”, in New Monthly Magazine, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2016, pages 355–357
    3 more examples

    1860, Review of Erastus C. Benedict, A Run Through Europe, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 21, p. 546, He pointed to the macadamized streets about that great hospital, and said, “The managers applied to the Emperor to macadamize the streets, to prevent the noise, and he did it. He does all that is asked of him.” Some say, however, that the Emperor is so ready to macadamize, because paving stones are so convenient in revolutionary barricades.

    1900, Aylmer Maude (translator), The Slavery of Our Times by Leo Tolstoy, Maldon, Essex: The Free Age Press, Chapter 6, p. 55, But even if a means could be found to get all to agree to produce certain articles (though there is no such means, and can be none, except coercion), who, in a free society, without capitalistic production, competition and its law of supply and demand, will decide which articles are to have the preference? Which are to be made first, and which after? Are we first to build the Siberian railway and fortify Port-Arthur, and then macadamise the roads in our country districts, or vice versâ?

    Though the village has recently got a macadamized road under Prime Ministers Gram Sadak Yojna Scheme and regular bus service has now been provided, there are a number of women who have lost their lives due to not receiving medical aid or help during pregnancy and child birth.

    2016 July 8, Ezabir Ali, “Gwalta: On the Line of Hostility”, in Greater Kashmir

    Synonyms: macadam

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo cover (a road) with macadam (small, broken stones) so as to form a smooth, hard, convex surface.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

verbsurface with macadam

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From macadam + -ize, after Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam who pioneered this method of road construction around 1820.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan macadamitzar
  • macadamitzarTranslations
Esperanto makadami
  • makadamiTranslations
French macadamiser
  • macadamiserTranslations
German makadamisieren
  • makadamisierenTranslations
Italian macadamizzare
  • macadamizzareTranslations
Portuguese macadamizar
  • macadamizarTranslations
Romanian macadamiza
  • macadamizaTranslations
Spanish macadamizar
  • macadamizarTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

macadamize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macadamize

MLA

“macadamize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macadamize. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “macadamize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macadamize.

Source: macadamize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.