deindustrialisation

IPA/dˌeɪndəstɹˌɪəlaɪzˈeɪʃən/
IPA/dˌeɪndəstɹˌɪələzˈeɪʃən/

deindustrialisation — noun

1. the long-term reduction of manufacturing-based work in an economy, as traditiona

1.nounB2
Definition

the long-term reduction of manufacturing-based work in an economy, as traditional factories close or relocate and the region shifts toward service, technology, or other non-manufacturing sectors

Example

After major factories closed in Detroit, the region's painful deindustrialisation left thousands of families without work.

collocation: painful deindustrialisation

The government launched retraining programmes to help workers affected by deindustrialisation in the steel industry.

collocation: affected by deindustrialisation

Common collocations
  • rapid deindustrialisation
  • painful deindustrialisation
  • widespread deindustrialisation
  • process of deindustrialisation
  • period of deindustrialisation
  • affected by deindustrialisation
Synonyms
Antonyms

Usage Note

Uncountable noun. Most often used in discussions of economic history, regional planning, and labour markets. Frequently appears with modifiers such as 'rapid', 'painful', 'massive', or 'widespread'.

Common Mistakes

Many deindustrialisations have occurred in different regions.
Deindustrialisation has occurred in many different regions.
deindustrialisation is uncountable and should not be pluralised.
The country is deindustrialisation its economy.
The country is deindustrialising its economy.
deindustrialisation is a noun; the verb form is 'deindustrialise'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Deindustrialisation describes a structural shift in which manufacturing shrinks as a share of the economy. Industrial decline overlaps in meaning but carries a stronger negative judgement, suggesting loss and deterioration rather than transformation. Economic restructuring is far broader — it can mean any change in the composition of an economy, including growth in new sectors alongside the decline of old ones. The hyphenated variant de-industrialisation is identical in meaning and used mainly in older academic writing. In practice, deindustrialisation is the standard term in contemporary economics and political commentary. For example: 'The deindustrialisation of northern England began with the collapse of coal mining and heavy engineering.' versus 'Industrial decline left entire towns with no source of employment.'

deindustrialisation ↗industrial declineeconomic restructuringde-industrialisation

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • process of deindustrialisation
  • impact of deindustrialisation
  • period of rapid deindustrialisation
  • affected by deindustrialisation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the prefix 'de-' (meaning 'removal' or 'reversal') attached to 'industrialisation', which itself comes from the French 'industrialiser', based on Latin 'industria' meaning 'diligence' or 'hard work'. The term first appeared in the mid-20th century as economists began to describe the shift from manufacturing to service-based economies in advanced industrial nations.