word choice - Has "utilise" lost its meaning in America?


My understanding is that "utilise" means to use an object for a task for which it was not intended.


However, in American English, it seems that "utilize" is synonymous with "use", and it seems that "utilize" is used to make a sentence sound more complex or formal.


Is this the accepted usage now? Is the benefit people find in making a sentence sound more complex overtaking the benefit of being able to express the different meanings?




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