Meaning & use
internalize
To make an attitude, belief, or behavior part of one's own thinking, often unconsciously, after repeated exposure.
See it in a sentence
Children often internalize the values they see modeled by their parents at home.
After years of criticism, she had internalized the belief that her work was never good enough.
A note on using this word
Internalize is common in psychology and education, describing how outside ideas gradually become part of a person's own automatic thoughts or self-image.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
rejectexternalize
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