Word.ws English Dictionary

desocialize

desocialize verb: to take out of a social context; individualize.

Verb

desocialize (third-person singular simple present desocializes, present participle desocializing, simple past and past participle desocialized)

  1. (transitive) To take out of a social context; individualize.
    • As we desocialize sex and sexuality as purely personal aspects of existence, we begin to see how sexuality is tied to a number of norms...2008, Jonathan Alexander, Literacy, Sexuality, Pedagogy: Theory and Practice for Composition Studies
  2. (transitive) To cause to withdraw from society.
    • By twelve weeks puppies enter the juvenile stage, and it is at this stage that a negative experience can desocialize the pup.2004, Arden et al, The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book of Wellness and Preventive Care
  3. (transitive) To cause to cease to be politically socialist.
    • It was a painful process to desocialize and rehabilitate the Malian economy.1975, A P J Van Rensburg, Contemporary Leaders of Africa

Forms of desocialize

third-person singular presentdesocializes
present participledesocializing
past participledesocialized
pastdesocialized

Origin of desocialize

From de- + socialize.

Questions about desocialize

What does desocialize mean?
Desocialize means to take out of a social context; individualize.
What part of speech is desocialize?
Desocialize is a verb.
What is the past tense of desocialize?
The past tense of desocialize is desocialized.

Words near desocialize in the dictionary

  1. desocialised
  2. desocialises
  3. desocialising
  4. desocialization
  5. desocializations
  6. desocialize
  7. desocialized
  8. desocializes
  9. desocializing
  10. desodiation
  11. desodiations

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: desocialize (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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