normalize
This term describes the process of establishing a standard, whether that standard is a social expectation, a mathematical scale, or a diplomatic state. In social contexts, it often carries a subtle critical or descriptive tone, suggesting that something previously viewed as deviant or extreme is being rebranded as ordinary through repetition.
In technical fields like statistics and computer science, the word is strictly functional. It refers to the removal of anomalies or redundancies to ensure that different data sets can be compared fairly or stored efficiently without duplication.
Meanings
To bring something back to a usual, standard, or expected state or condition.
The government is trying to normalize relations with its neighbor.
To make a behavior, belief, or situation seem typical or acceptable through frequent repetition or social acceptance.
Social media can normalize unrealistic beauty standards.
Phrasal Verbs
normalize over
to adjust data or values across a specific period or range to ensure consistency
The analysts decided to normalize the sales figures over a twelve-month period to remove seasonal spikes.