Dictionary

concretize en · VERB

Etymology

Etymology tree English concrete Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English concretize From concrete + -ize.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make concrete, substantial, real, or tangible; to represent or embody a concept through a particular instance or example.
   • But Ms. Yauger's death concretized these abstract discussions and theories. 1999, Sherry D. Akins, “Vital Signs: Teaching and Grieving,”, in The American Journal of Nursing, volume 99, number 8, page 88:
   • The Russian Ministry of Education has taken additional steps to concretize Russian control over the school system in occupied Ukraine. 2025 August 28, Karolina Hird, “Russian Occupation Update, August 28, 2025”, in Ukraine Project, Institute for the Study of War:
   • Rights in this way stem from social conventions that concretize and shape the values that underlie them. 2003, Larry Alexander, “Is Judicial Review Democratic? A Comment on Harel”, in Law and Philosophy, volume 22, numbers 3-4, page 280:
   • An essence exists if and only if it is actualized or concretized somehow, in some concrete form. 1962, Charles Hartshorne, “How Some Speak and Yet Do Not Speak of God,”, in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, volume 23, number 2, page 275:
2. (intransitive) To be embodied, to have physical representation.
   • These expressions of God's concern concretize around the figure of the divine hand or arm. 2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 1055:

Forms

Deriveds

concretizable · unconcretized

Relateds

concretization

Translations (19)

es concretizar (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · sv konkretisera (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · ru конкретизи́ровать (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · bg конкретизирам (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · da konkretisere (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · et konkretiseerima (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · lv konkretizēt (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · uk конкретизува́ти (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · ro concretiza (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · pl skonkretyzować (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · pt concretizar (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · fr concrétiser (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · ru конкретизи́ровать (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · de konkretisieren (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · pl konkretyzować (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · be канкрэтызава́ць (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · nl concretiseren (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · it concretizzare (to make substantial, real, or tangible) · hu konkretizál (to make substantial, real, or tangible)