customize
customize — verb
1. to change a product, service, system, or item so that it matches the particular
to change a product, service, system, or item so that it matches the particular wishes or requirements of a specific person or group — for example, choosing the background image on a phone or adjusting a car's seats.
Élise customized her laptop cover with a photo of her dog.
customize + noun + with [decoration/material]
The bakery can customize cakes for customers who have food allergies.
customize + noun + for [specific need]
After downloading the app, Caio customized the settings so notifications appear in blue.
This website lets you customize your shopping list by adding notes to each item.
Pim's car seats were customized to match the leather interior of his old sports car.
- tailor
More manual/precise adjustment, originally for clothing; 'tailor a service' sounds more bespoke than 'customize'.
- personalize
Adds an identity or emotional dimension (a personalized gift); less about functional adjustment than about making something feel individual.
- modify
Broader and more neutral — any change, not necessarily for a specific user's needs.
- adapt
Focuses on making something suitable for a new context, not necessarily for an individual's preferences.
- standardize
To make everything the same across all users or instances, the opposite of individual adjustment.
文法句型
customize + noun phrase
customize + noun phrase + for + person/need
customize + noun phrase + to + infinitive
be customized + to/for/according to + specification
用法筆記
Always transitive — a direct object is required. Frequently used in technology, marketing, and product-design contexts. The passive form ('The software can be customized') is very common in promotional and technical writing. For describing changes to personal appearance (hair, clothes), use 'style' or 'alter' instead.