deindustrialization

noun

de·in·dus·tri·al·i·za·tion (ˌ)dē-in-ˌdə-strē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən

: the reduction or destruction of a nation's or region's industrial capacity

deindustrialize

(ˌ)dē-in-ˈdə-strē-ə-ˌlīz

verb

Examples of deindustrialization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Many industries and landfills that made life untenable are gone, wiped out by economic downturns and deindustrialization, but the land and air are still so choked with detritus and pollution that people have not returned. —

Larkin Gallup, Baltimore Sun, 21 Dec. 2024 The city, the third most populous in Pennsylvania, was once an emblem of American steel, but deindustrialization led to its decline, several decades ago. —

Julia Preston, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2024 China’s role in middle America’s deindustrialization is now widely acknowledged. —

Brad Setser, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2024 Many Midwestern communities once core to the labor movement have shifted to the right in recent decades, often in response to economic concerns such as deindustrialization and the removal of trade barriers. —

Matt Brown, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deindustrialization

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of deindustrialization was in 1940

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Deindustrialization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deindustrialization. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

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