Meaning & use
industrialized country
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A country whose economy relies heavily on manufacturing and modern industry rather than mainly on farming.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an industrialized country', 'industrialized countries', or 'many industrialized countries'.
Patterns
- an industrialized country
- industrialized countries
- a highly industrialized country
Japan is often cited as an example of a highly industrialized country.
Many industrialized countries face the challenge of an aging population.
Trade between industrialized countries and developing nations has grown.
nouncountable
A nation that has already gone through the process of industrial development, typically with advanced technology and infrastructure.
Grammar: Often used in the plural when talking about a group of such nations, e.g., 'industrialized countries agreed to cut emissions'.
Patterns
- industrialized countries
- the industrialized world
- newly industrialized country
The conference brought together leaders from industrialized countries to discuss climate change.
Some newly industrialized countries are growing faster than older ones.
Aid from industrialized countries often comes with conditions.
Word forms
| plural | industrialized countries |
|---|
Common combinations
- highly industrialized country
- Germany is a highly industrialized country with a strong manufacturing base.
- advanced industrialized country
- Advanced industrialized countries tend to have service-based economies as well.
- newly industrialized country
- Brazil is sometimes classified as a newly industrialized country.
- group of industrialized countries
- A group of industrialized countries pledged to reduce carbon emissions.
- industrialized country's economy
- The industrialized country's economy depends on exports.
Synonyms and how they differ
- developed country
- This is the more common term in everyday and academic English; it often implies a high standard of living as well as industry.
- advanced economy
- Used especially in business and finance contexts, focusing on economic strength rather than industrial history.
Opposites
Word family
- industrialize verb
- To develop industry in a country or region.
- industrialization noun
- The process of building up industry in a country.
- industrial adjective
- Relating to industry or manufacturing.
Commonly confused: industrialized country or industrial country?
industrialized country vs industrial country
'Industrial country' is less common and can simply mean a country with a lot of industry; 'industrialized country' emphasizes that it has already undergone industrial development.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'industrialized country' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is A because 'industrialized country' is a noun phrase meaning a nation with developed industry. B is wrong because it confuses the term with a political system. C and D are grammatically incorrect because 'industrialized country' is not a verb or a verb phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “industrialized country”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.