u·til·ize (y t l- z )tr.v. u·til·ized, u·til·iz·ing, u·til·iz·es To put to use, especially to find a profitable or practical use for. See Synonyms at use.
[French utiliser, from Italian utilizzare, from utile, useful, from Latin tilis, from t , to use.]
u til·iz a·ble adj. u til·i·za tion (- -z sh n) n. u til·iz er n. Usage Note: A number of critics have remarked that utilize is an unnecessary substitute for use. It is true that many occurrences of utilize could be replaced by use with no loss to anything but pretentiousness, for example, in sentences such as They utilized questionable methods in their analysis or We hope that many commuters will continue to utilize mass transit after the bridge has reopened. But utilize can mean "to find a profitable or practical use for." Thus the sentence The teachers were unable to use the new computers might mean only that the teachers were unable to operate the computers, whereas The teachers were unable to utilize the new computers suggests that the teachers could not find ways to employ the computers in instruction. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | utilization - the act of using; "he warned against the use of narcotic drugs"; "skilled in the utilization of computers"activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity" practice - the exercise of a profession; "the practice of the law"; "I took over his practice when he retired" play - utilization or exercise; "the play of the imagination" misuse, abuse - improper or excessive use; "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds" exploitation, development - the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful; "the development of Alaskan resources"; "the exploitation of copper deposits" recycling - the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products application, practical application - the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose; "he advocated the application of statistics to the problem"; "a novel application of electronics to medical diagnosis" |
| 2. | utilization - the state of having been made use of; "the rate of utilization"state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" |