industrialization
Americannoun
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the large-scale introduction of manufacturing, advanced technical enterprises, and other productive economic activity into an area, society, country, etc.
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conversion to the methods, aims, and ideals of industry and economic activity, particularly of an area that was previously underdeveloped economically.
Other Word Forms
- anti-industrialization noun
- nonindustrialization noun
- overindustrialization noun
- proindustrialization adjective
Etymology
Origin of industrialization
Explanation
Industrialization occurs when industry is introduced on a large scale to a region or country — for example, when an economy goes from being based on agriculture to being based on manufacturing and other industries. In Europe and the United States, industrialization occurred in the 1700s and 1800s, with the changes beginning in Britain. This period is called the Industrial Revolution. Textile manufacturing became mechanized, transportation (canals, railroads, and road systems) became more efficient, and steam power was introduced. Goods became more accessible and cheaper.
Vocabulary lists containing industrialization
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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The United States
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Canada - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His skepticism of “improved means to an unimproved end”—which essentially alleged that, as life got faster, it didn’t necessarily get better—resonated with laborers watching their jobs vanish in the face of industrialization.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Moreover, its rise narrowed the policy space for others: strategies that once enabled late industrialization are now contested or constrained by new trade, investment, and climate regimes.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
The modern era is full of those predicting that the industrialization of the housing industry is just a few years away, only to be proved wrong.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026
Italy became a nation in 1861, but Grandi says it became “Italian at the table” only after mass emigration, industrialization, and economic growth.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026
Much of Europe, Asia, and North Africa was the site of metal-equipped states or empires, some of them on the threshold of industrialization.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
