centralization

American  

[sen-truh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌsɛn trə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or fact of centralizing; fact of being centralized.

2. the concentration of administrative power in a central government, authority, etc.

3. Chiefly Sociology.

   1. a process whereby social groups and institutions become increasingly dependent on a central group or institution.

   2. concentration of control or power in a few individuals.

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Other Word Forms

• anticentralization
  adjective
• overcentralization
  noun
• procentralization
  adjective
• recentralization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of centralization

First recorded in 1795–1805; centralize + -ation

Explanation

Centralization means bringing things to one central place or under unified control. The centralization of a school district might mean the superintendent makes important decisions for all the schools, rather than leaving those choices to individual principals. Centralization can refer to the consolidation of operations, like the centralization of a company's distribution, so that all the products they make are shipped out from one central warehouse. However, it often refers to the consolidation of power or control. When centralization occurs in a government, it means a small group increasingly controls everything; the disadvantage to extreme centralization is that there aren't enough checks and balances to that power.

Example Sentences

While Rockefeller was the most spectacularly successful at monopoly building—what he gently termed “cooperation”—he was also part of a greater movement in American business toward rationalization and centralization.

From Barron's • May 2, 2026

Despite benefiting significantly from European integration, he also cautioned against deeper centralization within the European Union, arguing that national policymakers must retain the ability to respond to local conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Previously known as Clear Channel Communications, the company has experienced the dark side of automation and programming centralization.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

“At the end of the day, it’s centralization, not technology, that affects wealth and equality,” he explained.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2025

This visible evidence of political centralization that the kofun provide reinforces the accounts of Kofun era Japanese emperors written down much later in Japanese and Korean chronicles.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• unification