Word.ws English Dictionary

broken window theory

broken window theory is the alternative form of broken windows theory.

Meaning of broken windows theory

Proper noun

broken windows theory

  1. A criminological theory stating that signs of urban decay (e.g. broken windows, graffiti, loitering) signal that an area is not monitored, encouraging more destructive criminal behavior.
    • Clark disliked the general state of unshavenness, partly for aesthetic reasons and partly because he was a believer in the broken-windows theory of urban-crime management, the way the appearance of dereliction can pave the way for more serious crimes.2014, Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, Picador (2022), page 249

Questions about broken window theory

What is broken window theory the alternative form of?
Broken window theory is the alternative form of broken windows theory.

Words near broken window theory in the dictionary

  1. broken vessels
  2. broken water
  3. broken wedlock
  4. broken wind
  5. broken window
  6. broken window theory
  7. broken windows
  8. broken windows policing
  9. broken windows theory
  10. broken with
  11. broken with tradition

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: broken window theory (page history and authors); broken windows theory (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.

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