decolonization

noun

de·​col·​o·​ni·​za·​tion (ˌ)dē-ˌkä-lə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

: the act or practice of decolonizing

[Frantz] Fanon also described mental decolonization, the shedding of the colonizer's values and practices …

—Jackie Byars

[Ngũgĩ wa] Thiong'o is a passionate advocate for African authors writing in their native tongue as a form of preserving culture and achieving linguistic decolonization. "Language, any language, has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and a carrier of culture," he has written.

—Jackie Bischof

The 20th century may be defined in the West by the World Wars and the Cold War, but for much of the rest of the planet it was the age of decolonization, when old structures of (often racial) domination and power gave way to new states, new nations, and new politics.

—Kanishk Tharoor

Examples of decolonization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Négritude and most decolonization movements were born in the West. —Simon Njami, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025

Earth Restorer’s Guide turns its eye globally and offers insights on such large topics as decolonization, climate change, and economic inequality. —Catherine Habgood september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025

In the same era of fitful decolonization that began in the late Forties, the power of the old masters of the universe grew at a historically unprecedented rate. —Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

Spanning 10 years of work, this international co-production explores utopia, decolonization and love with a unique visual language—bridging past and present in a powerful meditation on liberation and legacy. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for decolonization

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization