victimization

American  

[vik-tuh-muh-zey-shuhn] / ˌvɪk tə məˈzeɪ ʃən /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of victimization

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

Example Sentences

It may be the victimization survey is “off,” she said, or that the 2025 survey due later this year will match the falloff as documented in police data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

While reported crime fell, the Justice Department’s 2024 victimization survey found violent victimization rates hadn’t fallen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

In the tome of essays, author and educator Patricia Pisters discusses Madonna’s ability to transcend the traditional objectification and victimization that famous women are usually subject to.

From Salon • Aug. 23, 2025

Can she break out of the mythological trap of female victimization?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2024

These fictional dramas, like the evening news, tend to focus on individual stories of crime, victimization, and punishment, and the stories are typically told from the point of view of law enforcement.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• deception