internalize
verb
in·ter·nal·ize
in-ˈtər-nə-ˌlīz 
internalized; internalizing
: to give a subjective character to
specifically
: to incorporate (values, patterns of culture, etc.) within the self as conscious or subconscious guiding principles through learning or socialization
Examples of internalize in a Sentence
They have internalized their parents' values.
Recent Examples on the Web
Burden internalized this pattern, of foregrounding the importance of the paterfamilias at the expense of real intimacy, of keeping up appearances despite the private pain.
—
Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Dylann Roof internalized white-supremacist messages from websites surfaced by search algorithms, and later carried out the 2015 shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
That’s a timeline every consumer should internalize before beginning treatment.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
This is the feedback loop and Filipinos internalized what, in Filipino American psychological circles, is deemed a colonial mentality.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for internalize
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Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Dylann Roof internalized white-supremacist messages from websites surfaced by search algorithms, and later carried out the 2015 shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
That’s a timeline every consumer should internalize before beginning treatment.
—Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
This is the feedback loop and Filipinos internalized what, in Filipino American psychological circles, is deemed a colonial mentality.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for internalize
Cite this Entry
“Internalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/internalize. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
internalize
transitive verb
in·ter·nal·ize
variants
or chiefly British internalise
internalized or chiefly British internalised; internalizing or chiefly British internalising
: to give a subjective character to
specifically
: to incorporate (as values or patterns of culture) within the self as conscious or subconscious guiding principles through learning or socialization
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