personalize, customize

"Personalize" specifically means "modify so as to make personal to an individual". For example:

"I personalized my PC by replacing the screensaver with a picture of my cat."

but

"We customized the software for use on Chinook helicopters".

Hi Mr. Wordy, could you also give a definition for customize?

My dictionary gives a similar defintion
customize ( ) tr.v. , -ized , -izing , -izes . To make or alter to individual or personal specifications: customize a van.

"Customize" encompasses modifications made to suit personal requirements, as well as those made for other reasons, so in that sense there's an overlap. However, "customize" often suggests modifications of a technical nature, which can make it a less likely choice for "soft" adaptations. For example, I'd be much more likely to send someone a personalised greeting card than a customised

It's finally clear! So my original examples would sound better with personalize, right? Thanks, Mr. Wordy.

On balance, I guess so, but it's not completely clear-cut, and different people might perceive different shades of meaning here. In the case of the gift, "personalized" is more likely if you mean that some relatively cosmetic touch (such as a person's name) has been added. In the case of the wedding dress, "customized" suggests to me that the whole dress (or at least significant parts of it) have

Ummm... That's a bit tricky. I sort of get it. Thanks.