decolonization — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The freeing of a colony etc from dependent status by granting it independence.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. The reverse of colonization, i.e. granting back autonomy to a group.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   In full decolonization mode, Greenlanders also have abandoned the Danish names that once gave some of us a precarious toehold on their island's geography. Nuuk, for example, appeared on children's geography board games until recently as Godthab.

   But what does decolonisation have to do with place names? Place names are the meeting points of history and geography that shape part of our identities.

3. The elimination of a colony of pathogens from the body of a patient, especially antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Noun

1. the action of changing from colonial to independent status

   Synonyms

   decolonisation

   Broader terms

   group action