normalize
/ˈnɔːməlaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnɔːrməlaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnȯr-mə-ˌlīz/ (ame, mw)
normalize — verb
- normalizepresent simple I / you / we / they
- normalizeshe / she / it
- normalizedpast simple
- normalizing-ing form
1. to bring a situation, relationship, or set of conditions back to a regular, peac
to bring a situation, relationship, or set of conditions back to a regular, peaceful state, or for that situation to return to such a state on its own — for example, two countries restarting trade after a long dispute.
Diplomats from both governments worked for years to normalize relations after the war.
normalize relations — most common collocation
Once the protests ended, daily life in the city slowly began to normalize.
intransitive use: subject is a situation that returns to normal
Takeshi waited several months for his sleep schedule to normalize after the night shifts.
The new finance minister promised to normalize the country's currency within a year.
Trade between the two ports has finally normalized following the lifting of sanctions.
- stabilize
stress steadying after disruption; doesn't imply returning to a prior normal
- restore
wider sense of bringing something back; can apply to objects, not just situations
- regularize
more formal; often used of making something official or legal
- disrupt
to break the normal pattern rather than restore it
文法句型
normalize + object
things normalize
用法筆記
Subject is typically a large or shared situation (relations, prices, breathing, trade, schedule), not a single concrete object. As an intransitive verb the situation itself does the returning; transitively, an agent restores it.
常見錯誤
2. to cause a behaviour, idea, or condition that was once seen as unusual, wrong, o
to cause a behaviour, idea, or condition that was once seen as unusual, wrong, or extreme to be treated by people as ordinary and acceptable.
Many parents worry that violent video games normalize aggressive behaviour in children.
object is a behaviour or attitude being made to seem ordinary
Talia argued that reality television has normalized shouting matches between family members.
The campaign aimed to normalize talking openly about mental health in the workplace.
Some teachers feel that constant smartphone use has normalized rudeness during conversations.
Hugo's documentary explored how online influencers normalize extreme dieting among teenagers.
- mainstream
as a verb: to move something from the margins into wide acceptance; often used of ideas or groups
- legitimize
to make something appear morally or socially right; stronger and more formal
- stigmatize
to make people view a behaviour or group as shameful — the direct opposite of this sense
文法句型
normalize + noun (behaviour/idea)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the meaning is social — changing how people perceive something — not restoring a prior state. Object is typically a behaviour, attitude, or social phenomenon. Often carries a critical tone when the object is harmful (violence, rudeness, extreme dieting), but can be neutral or positive when applied to constructive topics (mental health, parental leave).
常見錯誤
3. in data work, to adjust a group of measurements so that each value can be fairly
in data work, to adjust a group of measurements so that each value can be fairly compared against a wider reference range or rescaled to a common scale.
The research team normalized the survey scores so results from different schools could be compared.
normalize + data so that + comparison purpose
Aarav wrote a short script to normalize the temperature readings before plotting the graph.
Economists usually normalize wage figures against inflation when comparing different decades.
Roya normalized the test scores by dividing each one by the class average.
- standardize
very close in technical writing; standardize often implies a specific transformation (z-score), while normalize is broader
- rescale
purely about changing the scale; doesn't necessarily involve a reference distribution
文法句型
normalize + data/values
用法筆記
Specialist register. Object is always a set of numbers, scores, or measurements; never a behaviour or a relationship. Often paired with 'against', 'to', or 'by' to name the reference standard or method used.