victimization

American  

[vik-tuh-muh-zey-shuhn] / ˌvɪk tə məˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of making someone into a victim by harming or killing them.

   Mentally ill people who wander these streets are particularly vulnerable to victimization by criminal predators.

2. the act or fact of blaming others for the hardships one encounters in life.

   That school of thought says that victimization is an attitude: you may have no control over what happens to you, but you can control what you do with it.

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Etymology

Origin of victimization

First recorded in 1840–50; victimiz(e) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

It may be the victimization survey is “off,” she said, or that the 2025 survey due later this year will match the falloff as documented in police data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

This helps the empathizer make sense of things, but it sounds more like victimization and a savior complex than empathy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

The rate of victimization against other non-Hispanic people seemed unchanged, except for those who lived near Hispanic communities.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024

In fact, the study found higher rates of depression among transgender youths are more closely associated with bullying and victimization.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2024

These fictional dramas, like the evening news, tend to focus on individual stories of crime, victimization, and punishment, and the stories are typically told from the point of view of law enforcement.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• deception