communalize: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low/C1Formal, Academic, Political, Historical, Sociological
Quick answer
What does “communalize” mean?
to make something shared, owned, or used collectively by a community, rather than by individuals.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
to make something shared, owned, or used collectively by a community, rather than by individuals.
To bring something under collective or community control; to convert from private to public or common ownership or use. Can also refer to the social process of fostering a sense of shared identity or purpose.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in definition. The term is equally rare and formal in both variants.
Connotations
Often associated with historical political policies (e.g., post-colonial land reforms in India, kibbutzim in Israel) or theoretical discussions in political science/sociology.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general use. Slightly more likely to be encountered in British English due to historical discussions of British colonial policy (e.g., in India).
Grammar
How to Use “communalize” in a Sentence
[Subject: Government/Group] communalize [Object: Resource/Property/Land][Object: Land] was communalized by [Agent]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “communalize” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The post-war government sought to communalize certain industries.
- Some agricultural land was communalized under the new scheme.
American English
- The utopian community voted to communalize all property.
- Historians debate the effects of attempts to communalize resources in that era.
adverb
British English
- Resources were managed communally, not privately. (Note: 'communally' is the standard adverb, not 'communalizedly').
American English
- The property was owned communally by the residents' association.
adjective
British English
- The communalized farmland led to new management challenges.
- A communalized system of childcare was proposed.
American English
- They lived under a fully communalized economic structure.
- The communalized workshops required a new set of rules.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used. In rare cases, might appear in critiques of alternative business models (e.g., 'They aim to communalize decision-making').
Academic
Used in political science, sociology, history, and anthropology to describe specific social or economic policies and transformations.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Would sound oddly formal or technical.
Technical
A precise term in political economy and social theory.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “communalize”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “communalize”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “communalize”
- Using it to mean 'to make communal in a social sense' (e.g., 'We communalized the picnic') is an overextension and sounds unnatural. Using 'share' is better. Confusing it with 'commercialize'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 'Share' is a general, everyday word for using something jointly. 'Communalize' is a formal, socio-political term for systematically transferring ownership or control of something (like land or industry) to a community as a matter of policy.
Nationalize means to transfer ownership or control to the central *state* or *national government*. Communalize means to transfer it to a specific *community* or *collective* (which could be smaller than a nation, like a village or cooperative).
It's rare but possible in abstract academic discourse, e.g., 'to communalize memory' or 'to communalize risk,' meaning to treat it as a collective rather than individual concern. This is a highly specialized usage.
The noun is 'communalization' (e.g., 'the communalization of agriculture').
to make something shared, owned, or used collectively by a community, rather than by individuals.
Communalize is usually formal, academic, political, historical, sociological in register.
Communalize: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɒmjʊnəlaɪz/, and in American English it is pronounced /kəˈmjuːnəlaɪz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to this verb.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: COMMON + ALIZE (like 'realize' or 'finalize'). To 'communalize' is to make something COMMON.
Conceptual Metaphor
OWNERSHIP IS A CONTAINER (shifting from a private container to a large, shared communal container).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the verb 'communalize' most appropriately used?