Meaning & use
internalize
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To take an idea, rule or belief so fully into your mind that it guides what you think and do without effort.
Grammar: Needs an object: internalize the rules, not just 'internalize'.
Patterns
- internalize something
- internalize a message
Children internalize the values they see at home.
After months of practice, she had internalized the grammar rules.
He internalized his teacher's advice and used it automatically.
verbtransitive
To keep strong feelings inside instead of showing or sharing them.
Grammar: Takes feelings as an object: internalize anger or stress.
Patterns
- internalize stress
- internalize anger
He tends to internalize his anger instead of talking about it.
Many teenagers internalize stress, which can harm their health.
She internalized her disappointment and said nothing.
Word forms
| third person singular | internalizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | internalized |
| past participle | internalized |
| -ing form | internalizing |
Common combinations
- internalize a message
- Students internalize the message that effort matters.
- internalize criticism
- She tends to internalize criticism and blame herself.
- fully internalize
- You must fully internalize the safety routine.
- internalize values
- Children internalize values from their parents.
- internalize stress
- Do not internalize stress; talk to someone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- absorb
- Absorb suggests taking in information, while internalize implies making it part of your own outlook.
- assimilate
- Assimilate stresses blending new ideas into what you already know.
- bottle up
- Bottle up is informal and applies only to feelings you hold back.
- adopt
- Adopt can be a conscious choice, whereas internalize is usually gradual and unconscious.
Opposites
Word family
- internalization noun
- the process of internalizing
- internal adjective
- inside something
- internally adverb
- on the inside
- internalized adjective
- held deep inside, as in internalized beliefs
Commonly confused: internalize or internship?
internalize vs internship
An internship is a short period of supervised work experience and has nothing to do with internalizing ideas.
Practice
'Over time she internalized the criticism.' What happened?
Choose one answer.
Internalize means to take something inside so it shapes your own thinking. The other options describe actions outside the mind.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “internalize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.