English Reference

Word

centralization

Phoneticscen·tral·iza·tion

/ˌsɛntɹəɫɪˈzeɪʃən/

Definition

n. the process of putting all the power or control in one single place or person. This often happens in a company or government when decisions are made by a small group at the top.

n. the process of concentrating power, authority, or resources in a single central location or entity. Often contrasted with decentralization in political and organizational contexts.

Examples

“The company is moving toward centralization to make decisions faster.”

“The centralization of data processing in a single server room made the entire network more vulnerable to a single point of failure.”

“While centralization can streamline administrative efficiency, it often leads to a lack of local responsiveness and a concentration of power that may stifle innovation at the grassroots level.”

Examples

simple

“The company is moving toward centralization to make decisions faster.”

contextual

“The centralization of data processing in a single server room made the entire network more vulnerable to a single point of failure.”

complex

“While centralization can streamline administrative efficiency, it often leads to a lack of local responsiveness and a concentration of power that may stifle innovation at the grassroots level.”

Etymology

From French centralisation, equivalent to central + -ization or centralize + -ation.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/centralization

English Reference