titivate

UK: /ˈtɪtɪveɪt/ US: (tit′ə vāt′)

Inflections of 'titivate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

titivates

v 3rd person singular

titivating

v pres p

titivated

v past

titivated

v past p

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tit•i•vate¹  (tit′ə vāt′), v., -vat•ed, -vat•ing. 
v.t. 

1. to make smart or spruce:
   She titivated her old dress with a new belt.

v.i. 

2. to make oneself smart or spruce.

Also, tittivate. 

• 1795–1805; earlier tidivate (tidy + (ele)vate; i.e., tidy up)

tit′i•va′tion, n. 
tit′i•va′tor, n. 

tit•i•vate²  (tit′ə vāt′), v.t., -vat•ed, -vat•ing. 

1. titillate.

• by erroneous association 1910–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

titivate, tittivate / ˈtɪtɪˌveɪt/ verb

1. to smarten up (oneself or another), as by making up, doing the hair, etc

Etymology: 19th Century: earlier tidivate, perhaps based on tidy and cultivate

ˌtitiˈvation, ˌtittiˈvation noun