What does industrializing mean?
Industrializing means undergoing a transition toward an economy based on factories, manufacturing, mechanized production, and industrial employment. It is commonly used to describe countries and regions that are developing rapidly but have not yet reached a fully industrialized state. The term can also function as a verb: a government may industrialize an area by building factories, improving transport, and encouraging manufacturing. Its historical meaning often concerns the large economic and social changes associated with the Industrial Revolution, although the word remains current in discussions of global development. A distinction is useful between an industrializing economy, which is still changing, and an industrialized economy, in which industrial production is already firmly established. The word carries a neutral descriptive meaning, but it can also draw attention to uneven development, labor transformation, and the environmental or social consequences of rapid industrial growth.
In the process of developing manufacturing, industrial infrastructure, and an industrial economy.
"Trade agreements accelerated the industrializing economy's expansion."
Often used of a country, region, city, or economy that is undergoing rapid industrial development.
To make a place, economy, or society more industrial, especially by developing manufacturing and related infrastructure.
"The government sought to industrialize the northern provinces through investment in factories and railways."
More common in historical, political, and economic discussion than in everyday conversation.
An industrializing nation is not yet an industrial economy—it is on the threshold, trading one way of living for another.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does industrializing come from?
The word is formed from industrial, meaning “relating to industry,” plus the suffix -ize, meaning “to make” or “to become.” Industrial itself derives through French from the Latin industria, meaning diligence, activity, or industry. The verbal form developed from the broader idea of organizing production on an industrial scale, while the participial adjective describes the transitional process of becoming industrial.
Related word forms
How industrializing is actually used
The adjective is most commonly used of countries, regions, cities, and economies. The verb form is somewhat less frequent and often appears in historical or economic contexts. The word emphasizes a process of transition and does not necessarily imply that industrialization is complete or uniformly successful.
Easily confused with industrializing
An industrializing place is undergoing a transition toward an industrial economy, whereas an industrialized place has already developed extensive industrial production.