What does ruralized mean?
Ruralized means that something has been made rural or has acquired a distinctly rural character. It is commonly used of settlements, landscapes, neighborhoods, or districts whose buildings, population distribution, vegetation, or way of life have come to resemble those of the countryside. As an adjective, ruralized often describes the result of such a change; as a past-tense verb, it identifies the act of making a place rural. The word can suggest peaceful surroundings and a departure from urban congestion, but it may also imply depopulation, the loss of services, or the erosion of a community's urban character. It is most common in North American English, where the -ized spelling is preferred; British English normally uses ruralised. Ruralized should not be confused with rural, which simply describes something that is rural rather than emphasizing a transition.
Having been made rural or having acquired rural characteristics.
"The formerly industrial valley became a largely ruralized area."
Often used for a place transformed through population decline, changed land use, or the construction of low-density development.
To make a place or area rural in character.
"The plan ruralized the district by limiting building heights and preserving open land."
Usually transitive and typically used in American English.
Sometimes the most transformative change is a disappearance: remove the city from a place and you have ruralized it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ruralized come from?
Ruralized combines the adjective rural with the verbal suffix -ize, meaning to make or render something in a particular way. Rural ultimately comes from Latin rus, meaning country or countryside, the same source as rustic and rusticity. The North American form uses -ized in accordance with standard American spelling conventions, while British English generally forms ruralised.
Related word forms
How ruralized is actually used
The -ized spelling is especially common in North America, while British usage normally prefers ruralised. The word often conveys a deliberate transformation or a process of losing urban character rather than merely describing something that is already rural.
Easily confused with ruralized
Ruralized is the usual North American spelling, while ruralised is the standard British spelling.