deindustrialization

noun

de·​in·​dus·​tri·​al·​i·​za·​tion (ˌ)dē-in-ˌdə-strē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən How to pronounce deindustrialization (audio)
: the reduction or destruction of a nation's or region's industrial capacity
deindustrialize verb

Examples of deindustrialization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Once Europe’s second-largest industrial hub, the area saw a rapid deindustrialization in the 1970s that turned factories into corporate headquarters, and a power plant into a film studio complex. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Jan. 2024 While deindustrialization and globalization have cost Americans millions of manufacturing jobs in the past few decades, knowledge economy workers now face their own existential threat in artificial intelligence. Zenger News, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Latin American countries, along with countries in Africa, have suffered premature deindustrialization as their manufacturing sectors shrank in size and economic importance before their economies matured. Shannon K. O’Neil, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Detroit became synonymous with the consequences of deindustrialization, its urban core pockmarked by abandonment. Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024 The European powerhouse’s economy, the largest on the continent and the world’s fourth biggest, shrank last year, extending a six-year slump that is raising fears of deindustrialization and sapping support for governments across the region. Tom Fairless, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2024 Globalization and deindustrialization led to widespread auto plant closures and shipped many jobs overseas, says Cha of UC Santa Cruz. Caitlin Harrington, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023 Today, thanks to capital flight, anti-unionism, deindustrialization, the proliferation of low-wage jobs, and the proletarianization of many professional occupations (such as academia), the insecurity of poverty has spread to many of those who might once have occupied the middle class. Kim Phillips-Fein, The New Republic, 28 Aug. 2023 An influx of immigrants of color, deindustrialization, and a widening income gap threatened the belief of many white Americans that the U.S. was a white Christian country. TIME, 20 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deindustrialization.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deindustrialization was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near deindustrialization

Cite this Entry

“Deindustrialization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deindustrialization. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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