decentralize

[dee-sen-truh-lahyz]

See more synonyms for decentralize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), de·cen·tral·ized, de·cen·tral·iz·ing.

to distribute the administrative powers or functions of (a central authority) over a less concentrated area: to decentralize the national government.
to disperse (something) from an area of concentration: to decentralize the nation's industry.

verb (used without object), de·cen·tral·ized, de·cen·tral·iz·ing.

to undergo decentralization: The city government is looking for ways to decentralize.

Also especially British, de·cen·tral·ise.

Origin of decentralize

First recorded in 1850–55; de- + centralize

Related formsde·cen·tral·ist, nounde·cen·tral·i·za·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for decentralization

dissolution, fragmentation, putrefaction, demoralization, decentralization

Examples from the Web for decentralization

Contemporary Examples of decentralization

Each side can appreciate some but not all aspects of decentralization.
Relax—Both Parties Are Going Extinct
Nick Gillespie
November 4, 2014
Decentralization should cover every aspect of publishing, including acquisition.
5 Ways to Fix Book Publishing
Anis Shivani
July 12, 2013
The problem with that is that it represents a sort of decentralization.
Literary City: Jay McInerney’s New York
Henry Krempels
January 26, 2013
Decentralization has been the essential fact of Afghan life for centuries.
Karzai's Newest Lie
Stephen Kinzer
July 20, 2010

Historical Examples of decentralization

This decentralization began with an organization of all the states.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
One main cause for this, perhaps, was the decentralization of the South.
Four Years in Rebel Capitals
T. C. DeLeon
The work of decentralization in England is rapidly going on.
British Political Leaders
Justin McCarthy
A striking feature of the competitive method is its decentralization.
The Principles of Economics
Frank A. Fetter
It is not a question of decentralization; it is your political fetichism which I attack.
What is Property?
P. J. Proudhon

British Dictionary definitions for decentralization

decentralize

decentralise

verb

to reorganize (a government, industry, etc) into smaller more autonomous units
to disperse (a concentration, as of industry or population)

Derived Formsdecentralist, noun, adjectivedecentralization or decentralisation, noun

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

Word Origin and History for decentralization

1839, from de- + centralization.

decentralize

1840 (implied in decentralized), probably a back-formation from decentralization. Related: Decentralizing.