1. (v. t.) To endow with human characteristics; to make gentle or refined.
2. (v. t.) To render human or humane; to soften; to make gentle by overcoming cruel dispositions and rude habits; to refine or civilize.
3. (v. t.) To convert into something human or belonging to man; as, to humanize vaccine lymph.
4. (v. i.) To become or be made more humane; to become civilized; to be ameliorated.
Thesaurus Entries
acculturate, advance, ameliorate, amend, anthropomorphize, better, boost, bring forward, broaden, broaden the mind, catechize, demonstrate, direct, domesticate, edify, educate, elevate, emend, enhance, enlighten, enrich, fatten, favor, forward, foster, give instruction, give lessons in, go straight, ground, guide, humanize, illumine, improve, improve upon, inform, instruct, lard, lift, make an improvement, make human, meliorate, mend, nurture, open the eyes, polish, promote, raise, reeducate, refine, refine upon, reform, school, set right, sharpen the wits, show, show how, socialize, straighten out, tame, teach, teach a lesson, teach the rudiments, transfigure, transform, upgrade, uplift
