assimilation
uh-sim-ih-LAY-shun
/əˌsɪmɪˈleɪʃən/
The process by which a person or group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group.
Often implies a minority group being absorbed into a dominant majority, sometimes losing their original identity.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'assimilationem', meaning 'likening' or 'making like'. It literally means the process of making one thing 'similar' to another.
Word relationships
- absorption: Suggests one thing being completely taken in by another so it is no longer visible.
- integration: A more positive term suggesting joining a group while potentially keeping some original identity.
- segregation: The enforced separation of different racial or cultural groups.
- differentiation: The process of making or becoming different.
Commonly confused with
- acculturation: Acculturation is the exchange of features when groups meet; assimilation is when one group is completely absorbed by the other.
Word family
- assimilate (verb): To take in and understand fully; to absorb into a culture.
- assimilative (adjective): Tending to or having the power to assimilate.
Collocations
- cultural assimilation
- forced assimilation
- rapid assimilation
Example sentences
- "The history of America is a history of assimilation, as waves of immigrants adopted the customs of their new home." A historian discusses the immigrant experience in the early 20th century.
- "The assimilation of nutrients into the bloodstream is a vital part of digestion." In biology, it refers to the absorption of nutrients.
Memory hook
Think of the 'Borg' from Star Trek: 'You will be assimilated.' They make everyone exactly like them. To become 'similar' to the majority.
When not to use
Do not use for 'learning' a culture (that's acculturation); use assimilation when the person actually 'becomes' part of the new culture.
Fun facts
- In linguistics, assimilation is when a sound changes to become more like a neighboring sound (e.g., 'in-' + 'possible' becomes 'impossible').
Related words
Explore more words
Also appears in
- Relationships → Peer Pressure & Conformity
- Travel & Culture → Cultural Diversity & Customs
- Demographics & Urban Studies → Rural-to-Urban Migration
- Demographics & Urban Studies → Indigenous Populations
- Psychology → Child & Adolescent Development
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Tribal Communities & Integration
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Cultural Assimilation & Pluralism
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