modernization
gb/mˌɑdɚnaɪzˈeɪʃən/ us/mˌɑdɚnaɪzˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 8100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
action
1
process of making something modern
The process of changing something so it is modern and uses new ideas or technology.
Usage pattern:
the modernization of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *modernization* when they mean *modernity* or *modern life*. *Modernization* is the process of making something modern (e.g., modernization of the railway), while *modernity* is the state or quality of being modern (e.g., life in modernity). Another mistake is using it as a verb (*to modernization*); the verb is *to modernize*.
Synonyms
updating (General word for making something more current; less formal and slightly broader than modernization.)
|
upgrade (Often used for technology or equipment; sounds more concrete and product-focused than modernization.)
|
reform (Focuses on changing systems or institutions, especially rules or laws, not just technology.)
Antonyms
neglect (Failing to maintain or improve something, leading it to become old or outdated instead of modernized.)
|
preservation (Keeping something in its original or old state instead of changing it to be modern.)
Collocations
modernization program
|modernization plan
|modernization efforts
|infrastructure modernization
|military modernization
|economic modernization
Themes
business
|technology
|politics
|infrastructure
|work
Examples
- The government announced a major modernization of the national rail network.
- Digitalization is a key part of the company’s overall modernization strategy.
- Many hospitals need significant modernization to meet current safety standards.
- The army has invested heavily in the modernization of its equipment.
- Economic modernization has transformed the country over the last two decades.
Learner examples
- The city is paying for the modernization of the old subway.
- Modernization of the factory made work faster and safer.
- Many schools need modernization to use new computers.
- The company started a modernization plan last year.
- Modernization of the system will help customers a lot.
Noun
C1
entity
2
modern version of an older thing
A new, modern version of an old thing, such as a story, law, or system.
Usage pattern:
a modernization of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this sense (a specific modern version) with the general process sense. If you mean *one specific work* made modern (for example, a movie based on an old play), use this sense: *a modernization of the play*. If you mean the general process of changing many things to be modern, use the process sense: *the modernization of the theater system*.
Synonyms
adaptation (Often used for books, plays, and films; may change more than just the time period or style.)
|
update (Informal, everyday word; can sound less artistic or less thorough than modernization.)
Antonyms
original (The first version, before any modern changes are made.)
|
traditional version (A version that keeps the old style and setting instead of changing them to be modern.)
Collocations
a modernization of the classic
|a bold modernization
|a contemporary modernization
|a cinematic modernization
|a legal modernization
Themes
arts
|law
|culture
|technology
Examples
- The film is a clever modernization of the Shakespeare play, set in a modern high school.
- Some critics felt that the modernization of the opera lost much of the original’s charm.
- The director’s bold modernization of the classic novel divides audiences.
- This series is a fresh modernization of the old detective stories.
- The legal text is not a full rewrite, but a careful modernization of the previous code.
Learner examples
- The movie is a modernization of an old story.
- We watched a modernization of a classic play in a city theater.
- This book is a modernization of an old children’s tale.
- The new law is a modernization of the old rules.
- The show is a modernisation of a very old opera.
Grammar
Dictionary form
modernization
IPA
GB/mˌɑdɚnaɪzˈeɪʃən/
US/mˌɑdɚnaɪzˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
mod - ern - iz - a - tion (5 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (iz)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: modernization
- Plural: modernization, modernizations
Word family
Forms
modernizations
noun
Related words
modernism
noun C1
modernist
noun
Advanced or less common
postmodern
adjective C1
premodern
adjective
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.