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decolonize

[ dee-kol-uh-nahyz ]
/ diˈkɒl əˌnaɪz /
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verb (used with object), de·col·o·nized, de·col·o·niz·ing.
to release (a country or region) from the status of a colony, or to allow (a colony) to become self-governing or independent.
to reexamine and make changes in (a subject field, tradition, etc.) so as to counter the belief that the culture of a colonizing power is more worthy or important than the culture of a colonized people: From seed cataloguing to sustainable fishing, Indigenous people are decolonizing their diets and preserving their folkways.There is a movement to decolonize the curriculum, urging Western academics to change their courses to better reflect the ideas and experiences of peoples from all parts of the globe.See also decoloniality.
verb (used without object), de·col·o·nized, de·col·o·niz·ing.
to free a colony to become self-governing or independent.
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Also especially British, de·col·o·nise . Rarely decolonialize .

Origin of decolonize

First recorded in 1850–55; de- + colonize

OTHER WORDS FROM decolonize

de·col·o·ni·za·tion [dee-kol-uh-nahy-zey-shuhn], /diˌkɒl ə naɪˈzeɪ ʃən/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decolonize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decolonize

decolonize

decolonise

/ (diːˈkɒləˌnaɪz) /

verb
(tr) to grant independence to (a colony)

Derived forms of decolonize

decolonization or decolonisation, 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
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