socialization

noun

so·​cial·​i·​za·​tion ˌsō-sh(ə-)lə-ˈzā-shən 

1

a

: the process beginning during childhood by which individuals acquire the values, habits, and attitudes of a society

But certainly dealing with shame and its boundaries is soon a constant factor in the socialization of the child, because standards and rules are everywhere …

—Robert Karen

The most important feature of culture is that it can be transmitted, and thus the young can acquire adaptive repertoires through the learning process or, in sociological terms, the socialization process.

—David Mechanic

b

: social interaction with others

She also made spelling an exercise in socialization, by putting together children who did not seem predisposed to like each other.

—Tracy Kidder

With its idiosyncratic rhythms, rules and relationships, the coffee bar, these new workers say, has replaced the local bar as a place of socialization.

—Kirk Johnson

c

: exposure of a young domestic animal (such as a kitten or puppy) to a variety of people, animals, and situations to minimize fear and aggression and promote friendliness

Some adult dogs, because of a lack of socialization combined with genetic tendencies, can never transfer certain individuals from the "unfamiliar" to the "familiar" category.

—Dog Watch

2

: the action or process of making something (such as an industry) socialistic : conversion to collective or governmental ownership and control

the socialization of medicine

In the case of Vietnam the exodus was also related to … the government's decision of March 1978 to close down privately run businesses. This was a move to accelerate the socialization of the economy …

—T. E. Vedney

Examples of socialization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The best time for socialization is between 3 and 14 weeks of age. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

Tequila was flowing, and after two seasons of strict COVID protocols against socialization, Luna went hard. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 June 2025

This kind of compliment may reinforce a deeper pattern rooted in childhood or adolescent socialization, especially for women and girls. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

The socialization lessons include the art of shaking hands, which most of the boys do upon greeting the older men — some shyly, eyes down, some with self-assurance. —Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for socialization

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

socialization

noun

so·​cial·​iza·​tion

variants also British socialisation

ˌsōsh-(ə-)lə-ˈzā-shən 

: the process by which a human being beginning at infancy acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society through education and training for adult status