balkanize

/ˈbɔːl.kə.naɪz/

balkanize is the alternative letter-case form of Balkanize.

Verb capitalized: Balkanize

Balkanize (third-person singular simple present Balkanizes, present participle Balkanizing, simple past and past participle Balkanized)

(transitive) To break up into small, mutually-hostile units, especially on a political basis.
- The Pentagon and the CIA were being Balkanized, partially dismantled, and a Congressional investigation had focused on Screaming Fist.1984, William Gibson, Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 83

third-person singular present	balkanizes
present participle	balkanizing
past participle	balkanized
past	balkanized
third-person singular present	Balkanizes
present participle	Balkanizing
past participle	Balkanized
past	Balkanized
alternative form	Balkanise
alternative form	balkanise
alternative form	balkanize

From Balkan + -ize.

What does balkanize mean?: Balkanize means to break up into small, mutually-hostile units, especially on a political basis.
What is balkanize the alternative letter-case form of?: Balkanize is the alternative letter-case form of Balkanize.
What part of speech is balkanize?: Balkanize is a verb.
How do you pronounce balkanize?: Balkanize is pronounced /ˈbɔːl.kə.naɪz/ (UK).
What is the past tense of balkanize?: The past tense of balkanize is balkanized.

Adapted from Wiktionary: balkanize (page history and authors); Balkanize (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Scelultrix-Balkanize.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Zazollo-Balkanize.wav.

Cite this entry: “balkanize.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/balkanize. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.