noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
dēkrĭ"mĭnəlīzā'shən
/diːˌkɹɪmɪnəlaɪzˈeɪʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:D IY0 K R IH2 M AH0 N AH0 L AH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of making an activity or substance no longer criminalized (no longer a crime, subject to criminal penalties, to perform or possess). (Compare legalization, which often implies regulation.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
the decriminalization of all plant-based psychedelics
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The act of ceasing to treat a person as a criminal, by making their activities legal or no longer subjecting them to the criminal justice system (but instead possibly the mental healthcare system, etc).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
legislation that makes something legal that was formerly illegal
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
