Utilise vs Capitalize - What's the difference?
utilise | capitalize |
To make useful, to find a practical use for.
To make (l) of; to use.
To make best use of; to use to its fullest extent, potential, or ability.
To make do with; to use in manner different from that originally intendedT.A.R. Cheney, Getting the Words Right , Writer's Digest Books (1983).
In writing or editing, to write (something: either an entire word or text, or just the initial letter(s) thereof) in capital letters, in upper case.
(transitive, business, finance) To contribute or acquire capital (money or other resources) for.
(finance) To convert into capital, ie to get cash or similar immediately fungible resources for some less fungible property or source of future income.
(transitive, accounting, taxation) To treat as capital, not as an expense.
To profit or to obtain an advantage.
To seize, as an opportunity; to obtain a benefit; to invest on something profitable.
As verbs the difference between utilise and capitalize
is that utilise is to make useful, to find a practical use for while capitalize is in writing or editing, to write (something: either an entire word or text, or just the initial letter(s) thereof) in capital letters, in upper case.utilise
English
Alternative forms
* utilizeVerb
(utilis)Usage notes
Many style guides have advised against utilize and utilise'', arguing that the simpler verb use is always preferable (and analogously, that the noun ''use'' is preferable to ''utilization'' and ''utilisation'').Sir Ernest Gowers 1965 ''The Complete Plain Words'' Oxford: Oxford University PressEric Partridge 1973 ''Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English'' England: Penguin BooksJohn E. Kahn (ed) 1985 ''The Right Word at the Right Time'' London:Readers DigestPam Peters 1995 ''The Cambridge Australian English Style Guide'' Cambridge:Cambridge University Press When used simply as a synonym in ordinary writing (as in “please ''utilise the rear door when exiting the aircraft”) it can strike readers as pretentious, and so should be used sparingly.New Oxford American Dictionary 3rd edition (c) 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc. American novelist (David Foster Wallace) calls it a puff word.He continues: "Since it does nothing that good old use doesn't do, its extra letters and syllables don't make a writer seem smarter. I tell my students that using utilize makes you seem either pompous or so insecure that you'll use pointlessly big words in an attempt to look smart." Others argue that utilise has other senses, and is acceptable or even necessary (instead of (term)) in such senses. One such sense is “make best use of” (profitable, practical use, not just general use), as in “if we fail to utilise all resources, we will fail” – here the nuance is not simply “use”, but “make best use of”. Further, in American usage, (term) can imply use outside an object’s intended purpose.Synonyms
* employ * exploit * useDerived terms
* (l) * (l) * (l)References
capitalize
English
Alternative forms
* capitalise (non-Oxford British spelling)Verb
(capitaliz)- In German, all nouns are capitalized .
- Some states require proof that a new venture is properly capitalized before the state will issue a certificate of incorporation.
- If we obtain a loan using the business as collateral, the effect will be to capitalize our next ten years of income, giving us cash today that we can use to buy out our competitor.
- The home team took several shots on goal but was unable to capitalize until late in the game.
- The home team appeared to have the advantage throughout the game, and finally capitalized on their opponents' weakness with just two minutes remaining, scoring several points in quick succession.