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assimilation

uh-sim-uh-LAY-shun /əˌsɪm.əˈleɪ.ʃən/

nounC1GRESATTOEFLIELTS

AcademicSociological

The process by which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's majority group or assume their values, behaviors, and beliefs.

Often implies a one-way process where the minority group loses its original cultural markers to blend into the dominant culture.

The story behind the word. The word comes from the Latin 'assimilare', which literally means 'to make like'. In biology, it refers to the body turning food into its own tissue. In sociology, it describes the social body 'digesting' a new culture until it looks just like the host.

Word relationships

absorption: Absorption suggests being completely taken in and disappearing into the larger body.
acculturation: Acculturation usually involves keeping some original traits while adopting new ones, whereas assimilation is more total.

differentiation: The act of maintaining or creating distinct differences between groups.
segregation: The forced separation of groups, the opposite of blending in.

Commonly confused with

acculturation: Assimilation is the 'end goal' of becoming identical; acculturation is the 'process' of change that doesn't always end in total loss of identity.

Word family

assimilate (verb): To take in and fully understand information or ideas; to absorb into a culture.
assimilative (adjective): Having the power or tendency to assimilate.

Collocations

cultural assimilation
forced assimilation
rapid assimilation
resist assimilation

Idioms & expressions

melting pot

Example sentences

"The process of assimilation was slow, but by the third generation, the family no longer spoke their ancestral language." A historical observation on immigrant experiences.
"The 'melting pot' is a metaphor for the heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements 'melting together' into a harmonious whole with a common culture; this is the essence of assimilation." Discussing the 'Melting Pot' theory.

Memory hook

Think of 'A-Similar-Nation'. The goal of assimilation is to make everyone in the nation similar. Make it similar.

When not to use

Do not use when describing a mutual exchange of culture; use 'acculturation' or 'integration' instead.

Fun facts

The term was first used in a sociological context in the late 19th century to describe the Americanization of European immigrants.

Related words

homogenize, integration, amalgamation

Explore more words

assimilate, integrate, acculturation, homogenization, diffusion, internalization