Meaning & use

decentralize

verb·Academic

To distribute power, control, or functions away from a single central authority.

See it in a sentence

The company decided to decentralize decision-making by giving regional managers more authority.

The new constitution aimed to decentralize government and strengthen local councils.

A note on using this word

Decentralize is commonly used in politics, business, and technology to describe shifting authority or resources to smaller, local units.

Words with a similar meaning

disperse

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

centralize

Make it your own

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