WordGarden.ioregularize
A2Pronunciation
UK
- /rˈɛɡjuːlərˌaɪz/
US
Meanings
Verb
to make something regular, orderly, or consistent with a standard or rule
to give a person, status, or arrangement official or lawful standing
to modify a model, equation, or data problem so it behaves better or avoids overfitting
Beyond the definition
To regularize something is to make it follow rules, standards, or laws. It often means bringing order to something that was uneven, informal, or unclear. A government might regularize an industry by adding clear rules, or it might regularize the status of undocumented workers by making that status legal. More broadly, it can also mean making something more steady or consistent, like a routine or a pattern.
Imagine a bustling marketplace where vendors sell goods with no set prices or rules. It's lively, but also unpredictable and potentially unfair. To regularize this market would mean establishing clear guidelines for pricing, quality control, and transactions—bringing order to the chaos. That's at the heart of what "regularize" means: to bring something into conformity with a rule, standard, or law.
The word comes from the Latin "regula," meaning "rule." So, when you regularize something, you're essentially applying a "rule" to it. This can happen in many contexts. In politics and economics, governments often regularize industries by enacting laws and regulations—think of banking or healthcare. They might also regularize the status of immigrants who have been living in a country illegally, granting them legal residency.
In statistics and machine learning (a more recent usage), to regularize a model means to add constraints that prevent it from becoming overly complex and overfitting the data—essentially making it more generalizable and reliable. It's about preventing extremes and promoting stability.
Even in everyday life, you might regularize your sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. You're establishing a pattern, bringing order to what was previously inconsistent.
So whether it's laws, data models, or daily routines, to regularize is to impose structure, consistency, and conformity—making things predictable and manageable.
Examples
- 1
Legal status
The government introduced a scheme to regularize the status of undocumented workers.
- Patternregularize the status of + person/group
make their legal position official
- 2
Workplace rules
The company is trying to regularize pay and holiday rules across all its offices.
- 3
Charity finances
After the audit, the charity moved quickly to regularize its finances.
- 4
Hospital scheduling
The hospital hopes to regularize appointment times so patients are not kept waiting for hours.
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- regularize the system
- regularize procedures
- regularize status
Word family
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Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- regularizeverb
Forms
- regularizedpast tenseverb
- regularizing-ing formverb
- regularizesverb