What does denaturalize mean?
Denaturalize is a formal verb with two related senses. Its primary meaning is legal: to strip a person of citizenship that had previously been granted through naturalization, typically because it was obtained fraudulently or because the individual has committed acts deemed incompatible with allegiance to the state. In this sense, the word appears most often in immigration law and political reporting, as when governments move to denaturalize citizens accused of concealing their past. A second, broader sense means to deprive something of its natural quality or character — for example, development that denaturalizes a landscape — though this usage is considerably less common today. The word derives from Latin natura ("birth, nature") via "naturalize," combined with the negative prefix de-, indicating reversal. Because revoking citizenship is among the most severe sanctions a state can impose on an individual, denaturalize tends to carry weighty, often controversial connotations in public discourse.
verbTo deprive a person of citizenship or nationality, especially by an official act of a state; more broadly, to make something lose its natural or original qualities or character.
- (Law) To revoke the citizenship or national status of a person who has been naturalized.
- To deprive something of its natural character, qualities, or status; to make unnatural.
"The government moved to denaturalize citizens who had obtained passports through fraudulent means."
"Courts can denaturalize individuals whose citizenship was obtained through material deception."
"Critics argued that mass tourism would denaturalize the once-remote island community."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of denaturalize
Denaturalize combines the prefix de- (indicating removal or reversal) with "naturalize," which itself traces back to Latin naturalis, from natura ("birth, nature, character"). The word emerged in English around the early modern period, with the legal sense of stripping someone of granted citizenship becoming established as states developed formal naturalization procedures. It shares its root with words such as "nature," "natural," "denature," and "supernatural."
Related word forms
How denaturalize is actually used
Formal register. The legal sense is dominant and typically appears in contexts of immigration law and state authority; it carries serious connotations since it involves loss of citizenship. The figurative sense (stripping something of its natural character) is less common and may sound slightly awkward in modern usage.
Easily confused with denaturalize
"Denature" means to alter the natural qualities of something (as with proteins or alcohol), while "denaturalize" primarily means to revoke someone's citizenship.
"Denuclearize" means to remove nuclear weapons from a country or region, whereas "denaturalize" concerns revoking nationality or natural character.