What does deconcentration mean?
Deconcentration is the process of reducing the concentration of a substance or dispersing something that has been gathered together. In scientific contexts, it can describe the gradual separation or dilution of a material. It also has an important social and economic meaning: the redistribution of power, investment, population, or activity away from a single dominant centre. Although the word sounds technical, its underlying idea is straightforward—it describes undoing concentration or weakening a concentration of control. Related concepts include decentralization, dispersion, and dilution, while concentration and centralization express the opposite tendency. The term is especially useful when discussing subjects in which the location or distribution of resources and authority matters, including chemistry, economics, geography, and political organization. Deconcentration does not necessarily imply that the substance or resources involved disappear; rather, it describes their movement into a less concentrated or more distributed state.
nounThe reduction of the concentration of a substance, or the dispersal of something previously gathered together. By extension, it denotes the redistribution of power, resources, or activity away from a single centre.
- The reduction of the concentration of a substance or the dispersal of material through a medium.
- The redistribution of power, resources, population, or economic activity away from a single centre.
"The deconcentration of decision-making gave local communities greater control over their affairs."
"The experiment tracked the deconcentration of the salt as it dissolved in the water."
"The policy was intended to encourage the economic deconcentration of investment outside major cities."
Used when referring to multiple distinct processes of reducing or dispersing concentration.
"The researchers observed rapid deconcentrations under unusually warm conditions."
Deconcentration turns a single point of power into a constellation of smaller centres.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does deconcentration come from?
Deconcentration was formed in English by combining the prefix de- with concentration, producing a word for the reversal or reduction of concentrating. Concentration itself comes through Latin from the idea of bringing things together around a centre, ultimately associated with Latin centrum, meaning “centre.” The modern word developed alongside uses of concentration in scientific, economic, and political contexts, where the distribution of substances, resources, and authority became the opposite of concentration.
Related word forms
How deconcentration is actually used
This is primarily a formal or technical term used in scientific, economic, demographic, and political contexts. In social and political usage, it usually describes a reduction in centralized control rather than the complete elimination of a centre of authority.
Easily confused with deconcentration
Deconcentration reduces or disperses concentration, whereas concentration means gathering something together or focusing attention intensely.