industrialization

American  

[in-duhs-tree-uh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ɪnˌdʌs tri ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the large-scale introduction of manufacturing, advanced technical enterprises, and other productive economic activity into an area, society, country, etc.

2. conversion to the methods, aims, and ideals of industry and economic activity, particularly of an area that was previously underdeveloped economically.

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Other Word Forms

• anti-industrialization
  noun
• nonindustrialization
  noun
• overindustrialization
  noun
• proindustrialization
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of industrialization

industrialize + -ation

Explanation

Industrialization occurs when industry is introduced on a large scale to a region or country — for example, when an economy goes from being based on agriculture to being based on manufacturing and other industries. In Europe and the United States, industrialization occurred in the 1700s and 1800s, with the changes beginning in Britain. This period is called the Industrial Revolution. Textile manufacturing became mechanized, transportation (canals, railroads, and road systems) became more efficient, and steam power was introduced. Goods became more accessible and cheaper.

Example Sentences

The turn-of-the-century molds in his studio — which use botanic motifs, blossoming forms with metallic winged and floral attachments — look like desk toppers fit for an early 1900s eccentric obsessed with Darwinism and industrialization.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

In a food system shaped by decades of industrialization, many of the connections people once had to food — to place, to ritual, to community — have weakened.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

Central banks and individuals have been allocating to gold as a safe haven during periods of geopolitical instability, while silver and copper play a crucial role in industrialization and the AI race.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

After the Cuyahoga River was badly damaged by runaway industrialization, its multidecade cleanup effort required new technologies to monitor and remediate its water quality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Hublin says, “We are always acquiring, yes? All across the world, industrialization endangers mineral deposits. We collect as many types of minerals as exist. To a curator, none is superior to any other.”

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• computerization
• mechanization