Definition

Noun: The process by which an economy is transformed from primarily agricultural to one based on the manufacturing of goods. Individual manual labor is often replaced by mechanized mass production, and craftspeople are replaced by assembly lines. It involves the extensive introduction and development of industries in a region or country.

Usage

This noun is typically used in economic, historical, and sociological contexts to describe a major societal and economic shift. It is often discussed in terms of its causes, phases, and consequences (e.g., urbanization, environmental impact).

Examples

• The industrialisation of Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries is known as the Industrial Revolution.
• Rapid industrialisation often leads to significant migration from rural areas to cities.
• The government's policies aimed to accelerate the country's industrialisation.
• Scholars debate the social costs of industrialisation.

Advanced Usage

• Deindustrialisation: (Related concept) The opposite process, involving a decline in industrial activity in a region or economy.
  • The city faced economic hardship during a period of deindustrialisation.
• Reindustrialisation: (Related concept) A policy or process of reviving industrial activity.
  • The region's reindustrialisation strategy focused on advanced manufacturing.

Variants and Related Words

• Industrialize (verb): To develop industry in (a country or region) on a wide scale.
  • The nation worked to industrialize its economy.
• Industrialized (adjective): (Of a country or region) having developed industries.
  • The treaty was signed by several highly industrialized nations.
• Industrialism (noun): A social or economic system built on manufacturing industries.

Synonyms

• Industrial development
• Mechanization
• Industrial growth
• Economic modernization

Antonyms

• Deindustrialisation
• Agrarianism

Noun

1. the development of industry on an extensive scale