industrialize
in-DUSS-tree-uh-lyze
/ɪnˈdʌs.tri.ə.laɪz/
To develop industries on a wide scale within a country or region.
Refers specifically to systemic economic transformation from agriculture to manufacturing.
The story behind the word. Borrowed from French industrialiser, rooted in Latin industria (diligence). The term arose in early 19th-century Europe as scholars sought words to describe the unprecedented spread of steam-powered manufacturing.
Word relationships
- modernize: Modernize is broader and can refer to updating tech, institutions, or habits without adding heavy manufacturing.
- deindustrialize: Deindustrialize means reducing or dismantling industrial capacity.
Commonly confused with
- mechanize: Industrialize describes a nation's total economic transition, whereas mechanize refers specifically to replacing human labor with machines.
Word family
- industrialization (noun): The process of developing manufacturing industries.
- industrialized (adjective): Having developed wide-scale manufacturing.
Collocations
- industrialize rapidly
- industrialize the economy
- effort to industrialize
Example sentences
- "Britain was the first nation to industrialize, moving workers from agrarian fields into urban factories." Historical Transformation
- "The government sought to industrialize the agrarian north through targeted tax subsidies." Modern Policy
Memory hook
Think of IN-DUST-ry: workers covered in dust while making machines move. To industrialize is to turn the nation into a hub of dusty, busy factories. From farm fields to factory floors.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a single shop or small business adding a tool; it implies a macro-level economic shift.
Fun facts
- The word became widely adopted only after the Industrial Revolution was already decades underway.
Related words
Explore more words
industrialized, industrial, decarbonize, manufacturing, urbanize, revolutionize
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