Standard Lemma guide

westernization

noun · 2 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.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W EH2 S T ER0 N IH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The process of assimilation, by a society, of the customs and practices of western culture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

assimilation of Western culture; the social process of becoming familiar with or converting to the customs and practices of Western civilization

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Westernisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: assimilation, absorption

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English western Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ization English westernization From western + -ization.

Across languages

Translations

38 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَغْرِيب (taḡrīb) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Belarusian: вестэрніза́цыя (vjesternizácyja) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Belarusian: вэстэрніза́цыя (vesternizácyja) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Bulgarian: уестърниза́ция (uestǎrnizácija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Catalan: occidentalització — assimilation of the western culture
  • Chinese Mandarin: 西方化 (xīfānghuà) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Chinese Mandarin: 西化 (xīhuà) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歐美化 /欧美化 (Ōu-Měi-huà) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Czech: westernizace — assimilation of the western culture
  • Dutch: verwestersing — assimilation of the western culture
  • Dutch: verwesterlijking — assimilation of the western culture
  • Finnish: länsimaistuminen — assimilation of the western culture
  • Finnish: länsimaistaminen — assimilation of the western culture
  • French: occidentalisation — assimilation of the western culture
  • German: Verwestlichung — assimilation of the western culture
  • Greek: δυτικοποίηση (dytikopoíisi) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Hebrew: הִתְמַעַרְבוּת — assimilation of the western culture
  • Hindi: पश्चिमीकरण (paścimīkraṇ) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Italian: occidentalizzazione — assimilation of the western culture
  • Japanese: 西洋化 (seiyōka) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Japanese: 欧米化 (ōbeika) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Korean: 서양화 (seoyanghwa) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Korean: 구미화 (gumihwa) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Macedonian: озападување (ozapaduvanje) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Macedonian: вестернизација (vesternizacija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Persian: غربگرایی (ġarb-garâyi) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Polish: okcydentalizacja — assimilation of the western culture
  • Polish: westernizacja — assimilation of the western culture
  • Portuguese: ocidentalização — assimilation of the western culture
  • Russian: вестерниза́ция (vɛstɛrnizácija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Russian: западниза́ция (zapadnizácija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Russian: европеиза́ция (jevropeizácija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Russian: американиза́ция (amerikanizácija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Russian: оксидентализа́ция (oksidɛntalizácija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Spanish: occidentalización — assimilation of the western culture
  • Turkish: batılılaşma — assimilation of the western culture
  • Ukrainian: вестерніза́ція (vesternizácija) — assimilation of the western culture
  • Uyghur: غەربلىشىش (gherblishish) — assimilation of the western culture