Balkanize

[ bawl-kuh-nahyz ]

verb (used with object),Bal·kan·ized, Bal·kan·iz·ing.
  1. to divide (a country, territory, etc.) into small, quarrelsome, ineffectual states.

  2. (often lowercase) to divide (groups, areas, etc.) into contending and usually ineffectual factions: a movement to balkanize minority voters.

Origin of Balkanize

1
First recorded in 1915–20; Balkan + -ize
  • Also especially British, Bal·kan·ise .

Other words from Balkanize

  • Bal·kan·i·za·tion, noun
  • Bal·kan·ism, noun

Words Nearby Balkanize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for Balkanize

Balkanize

Balkanise

/ (ˈbɔːlkəˌnaɪz) /


verb
  1. (tr) to divide (a territory) into small warring states

  2. to divide (a group or organization) into small factions

Derived forms of Balkanize

  • Balkanization or Balkanisation, noun
  • Balkanized or Balkanised, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012