victimization
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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.
Etymology
Origin of victimization
First recorded in 1840–50; victimiz(e) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )
Explanation
Bullying someone or otherwise acting cruelly is victimization. If you deliberately take advantage of your little brother's small size and good nature by eating his cookies as well as your own, that's a kind of victimization. You can use this word for the action of victimizing someone (essentially singling them out and making them your victim) or the process of being victimized. Your victimization at the hands of that horrible substitute gym teacher was truly unfair, especially when he made you do 50 pushups while the rest of the class played volleyball. Victimization is often a very serious matter, since it is a result of an imbalance of power, lack of justice, and cruelty.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Newly released results from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey go a long way toward answering those questions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
Victimization reported by Black and Latino students, which includes instances of being bullied or assaulted, saw larger declines than victimization reported by white students.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2023
The study relied on the 2017 and 2018 National Crime Victimization Survey, a comprehensive source of data that includes gender identity.
From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2023
Its findings largely track with the National Crime Victimization Survey are also similar to another report from the nonpartisan think tank the Council on Criminal Justice.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2022
Victimization was not the theme of Brown’s magisterial work, or any part of his understanding of American Indian potential.
From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2019
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
