normalization
Britishnoun
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the act or process of normalizing
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social welfare the policy of offering mentally or physically handicapped people patterns, conditions, and experiences of everyday life as close as possible to those of nonhandicapped people, by not segregating them physically, socially, and administratively from the rest of society
Explanation
Taking something that's out of whack or atypical and bringing it back to an ordinary state is normalization. When two countries in conflict agree to sign a truce, it signifies the normalization of their relationship. Normalization is often used in a political context, for relations between nations, but you can use it for anything that's returned to normal after going off the rails. The normalization of a new parent's sleep schedule can sometimes take years. Another way to use this word is to mean "treating something bizarre as though it's normal." You may be shocked at the normalization of foul language on television — and dismayed at your family's normalization of eating dinner at 4:30 p.m.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Afterward, Connolly said she told Trump that “the normalization of war and genocide can never be accepted,” citing Ireland’s own history of famine, colonization and the Troubles.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Yet, the right-sizing of its transitional care facility, reflected in the results, suggests normalization rather than a deterioration of its core healthcare franchise, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
He also said it was a normalization of rate markets from the dysfunctionally low era that followed the global financial crisis of 2008.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
“The timing of the eventual supply normalization is impossible to predict and we therefore expect this volatility to continue.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
I’d gotten a little more than I bargained for when I’d agreed to join Jules’s campaign for normalization.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
