victimization

[ vik-tuh-muh-zey-shuhn ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of victimization¹

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

Example Sentences

Historical events that highlight the victimization of Hindus at the hands of Muslims are pivotal in this enterprise.

From Time

Effective management also means rewarding officers for outcomes like reduced victimization, rather than outputs like the number of pedestrian or car stops they make.

From Time

While clinic staff had thought the nation’s history of medical racism and victimization would play a large role in hesitancy, they learned it was much more complicated.

From Washington Post

LaHaye was very gifted at the language of victimization, the rhetoric that evangelicals are somehow under siege in a multicultural society.

From Voice of San Diego

Inevitably, this victimization invites others to wonder whether they, too, are deserving of reparations.

From Time

The differences in overall victimization are driven mainly by the incidences of completed rape.

From The Daily Beast

This study uses the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which is really a tool that tracks crimes.

From The Daily Beast

The politics of victimization are a potent force in the world today.

From The Daily Beast

Being pressed to conform to such a change in majority opinion must feel like victimization.

From The Daily Beast

But Christians complaining about “discrimination” should realize what real victimization looks like.

From The Daily Beast

Ten shillings per week to be paid in strike and victimization pay.

From Project Gutenberg

My victimization had created a bitter feeling in the division, and some very exciting scenes occurred during the election.

From Project Gutenberg

During the quarter I had several lock-out cases and victimization cases to deal with, which cost the Union several pounds.

From Project Gutenberg

My old friend George Hewitt, the branch secretary, was specially marked out for victimization.

From Project Gutenberg

The complete restoration of freedom of speech and political action, with protection against victimization.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• deception