decolonize
/diːˈkɒlənaɪz/verb
decolonize is spelled D-E-C-O-L-O-N-I-Z-E: 10 letters. It appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 152,206th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, decolonize means “To release from the status of colony; to allow a colony to become independent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in decolonize?
| Letters | 10: D-E-C-O-L-O-N-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 25 million words; the 152,206th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is decolonize?
Decolonize appears about once in every 25 million words in written English, the 152,206th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce decolonize?
- UK /diːˈkɒlənaɪz/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of decolonize
- decolonizes present, singular, he/she/it
- decolonizing participle, present
- decolonized participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does decolonize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To release from the status of colony; to allow a colony to become independent.
- 2
To reverse the colonization of, i.e. to grant back autonomy to a group.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Decolonize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to release from the status of colony:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | décoloniser |
| Portuguese | descolonizar |
| Spanish | descolonizar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does decolonize come from?
From de- + colonize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).