Meanings
present singular third person modernizes · participle present modernizing · participle past modernized · past modernized · alternative modernise
- transitiveTo make (something old or outdated) up to date, or modern in style or function by adding or changing equipment, designs, etc.
Synonyms: bring, make up to date, rejuvenate, renew, renovate, upgrade
- intransitiveTo become modern in appearance, or adopt modern ways
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make (something old or outdated) up to date, or modern in style or function by adding or changing equipment, designs, etc.
More synonyms by meaning
verbmake repairs, renovations, revisions or adjustments to
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchmoderniser
- Englishmodernize
From modern + -ize or French moderniser.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian модернизирам, осъвременявам
- модернизирам (moderniziram)bring something up to date
- осъвременявам (osăvremenjavam)bring something up to date
- модернизирам се (moderniziram se)become modern
Catalan modernitzar
- modernitzarbring something up to date
Chinese Mandarin 現代化 /现代化, 近代化
- 現代化 /现代化 (xiàndàihuà)bring something up to date
- 近代化 (jìndàihuà)bring something up to date
- 現代化 /现代化 (xiàndàihuà)become modern
Czech modernizovat
- modernizovatbring something up to date
Dutch moderniseren
- moderniserenbring something up to date
Esperanto modernigi, moderniĝi
- modernigibring something up to date
- moderniĝibecome modern
Finnish uudenaikaistaa, nykyaikaistaa
- uudenaikaistaabring something up to date
- nykyaikaistaabring something up to date
- modernisoidabring something up to date
- uudistaabring something up to date
- uudistuabecome modern
- nykyaikaistuabecome modern
- modernisoituabecome modern
French moderniser
- moderniserbring something up to date
German modernisieren
- modernisierenbring something up to date
Greek εκμοντερνίζω, μοντερνίζω
- εκμοντερνίζω (ekmonternízo)bring something up to date
- μοντερνίζω (monternízo)bring something up to date
Hindi आधुनिकीकृत, आधुनिकीकृत
- आधुनिकीकृत (ādhunikīkŕt)bring something up to date
- आधुनिकीकृत (ādhunikīkŕt)become modern
Hungarian modernizál, korszerűsít
- modernizálbring something up to date
- korszerűsítbring something up to date
Icelandic nútímavæða
- nútímavæðabring something up to date
Indonesian memutakhirkan, memodernkan
- memutakhirkanbring something up to date
- memodernkanbring something up to date
Italian modernizzare
- modernizzarebring something up to date
Japanese 近代化する, 現代化する
- 近代化する (kindaika suru)bring something up to date
- 現代化する (kendaika suru)bring something up to date
Polish modernizować, zmodernizować
- modernizowaćbring something up to date
- zmodernizowaćbring something up to date
- unowocześniaćbring something up to date
- unowocześnićbring something up to date
- modernizować siębecome modern
- zmodernizować siębecome modern
- unowocześniać siębecome modern
- unowocześnić siębecome modern
Portuguese modernizar, modernizar-se
- modernizarbring something up to date
- modernizar-sebecome modern
Russian модернизи́ровать, осовреме́нивать
- модернизи́ровать (modɛrnizírovatʹ)bring something up to date
- осовреме́нивать (osovreménivatʹ)bring something up to date
- осовреме́нить (osovreménitʹ)bring something up to date
- модернизи́роваться (modɛrnizírovatʹsja)become modern
- осовреме́ниваться (osovreménivatʹsja)become modern
- осовреме́ниться (osovreménitʹsja)become modern
Spanish modernizar, modernizarse
- modernizarbring something up to date
- modernizarsebecome modern
Swedish modernisera
- moderniserabring something up to date
Ukrainian модернізува́ти, осуча́снювати
- модернізува́ти (modernizuváty)bring something up to date
- осуча́снювати (osučásnjuvaty)bring something up to date
- осуча́снити (osučásnyty)bring something up to date
- модернізува́тися (modernizuvátysja)become modern
- осуча́снюватися (osučásnjuvatysja)become modern
- осуча́снитися (osučásnytysja)become modern
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
modernize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modernize
“modernize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modernize. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “modernize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modernize.
Source: modernize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.