desertification
Syllables: de·sert·i·fi·ca·tion/dɪˌzɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən//dɪˌzɝ.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
desertification noun: the process by which a geographic region becomes a desert, resulting from natural changes in climate or by human activity.
Noun
desertification (uncountable)
- The process by which a geographic region becomes a desert, resulting from natural changes in climate or by human activity.
- Desertification, as defined by the CCD, means "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities."1998, “Fact Sheet: Desertification”, in United States Department of State, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2019
- desertification – the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change2003, Central Intelligence Agency, The 2003 CIA World Factbook, archived from the original on 07 Dec 2025
- Synonyms:
- desertization, land degradation
desertification meaning in Nepali, Arabic and Malay
desertification in Nepali
- process by which a region becomes a desert
- मरुभूमिकरण marubhūmikaraṇ
desertification in Arabic
- process by which a region becomes a desert
- تَصَحُّر taṣaḥḥur
desertification in Malay
- process by which a region becomes a desert
- penggurunan, desertifikasi
Synonyms of desertification
Antonyms
Origin of desertification
From desert + -ification (“process of becoming”).
Words formed from desertification
Words that rhyme with desertification
- station
- collation
- accommodation
- presentation
- derivation
- information
- modulation
- translation
- application
- fixation
- generation
- orientation
48 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- citation
- combination
- communication
- conjugation
- constellation
- determination
- elevation
- operation
- relation
- reservation
- alternation
- condensation
- conversation
- deviation
- excavation
- foliation
- formation
- foundation
- incarnation
- interpretation
- representation
- retardation
- speculation
- termination
- abbreviation
- adaptation
- articulation
- bifurcation
- concentration
- congregation
- declination
- degradation
- expectation
- extenuation
- gradation
- observation
- population
- preparation
- reconciliation
- rotation
- separation
- situation
- vexation
- vindication
- accumulation
- administration
- aggregation
- appropriation
Questions about desertification
- What does desertification mean?
- Desertification means the process by which a geographic region becomes a desert, resulting from natural changes in climate or by human activity.
- What is desertification in Nepali?
- Desertification in Nepali is मरुभूमिकरण (marubhūmikaraṇ). See Desertification meaning in Nepali.
- What part of speech is desertification?
- Desertification is a noun.
- How do you pronounce desertification?
- Desertification is pronounced /dɪˌzɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (UK).
Words near desertification in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: desertification (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:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-desertification.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-desertification.wav.
Cite this entry: “desertification.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/desertification. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.