Meaning & use
socialization
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Meanings
noununcountable
the process by which people, especially children, learn the skills, rules, and values of their society
Grammar: No plural; often used with 'the' or 'early': Early socialization happens in the family.
Patterns
- socialization of children
- socialization into something
- primary socialization
Schools play a major role in the socialization of young children.
Language is central to socialization because it lets children share meaning with others.
The study looks at socialization into professional roles during medical training.
noununcountable
the act of spending time with other people in a friendly way
Grammar: Used for the activity of meeting people socially; in this sense it is neutral and common in everyday writing.
Patterns
- socialization with friends
- opportunities for socialization
The club offers socialization for older adults who live alone.
Remote work can reduce daily socialization with colleagues.
Word forms
| British spelling | socialisation |
|---|
Common combinations
- primary socialization
- Primary socialization usually takes place in the family during early childhood.
- socialization of children
- The socialization of children depends on both parents and teachers.
- political socialization
- Political socialization shapes how young people think about voting.
- opportunities for socialization
- Team sports provide opportunities for socialization outside the classroom.
- socialization process
- The socialization process continues throughout adult life.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enculturation
- A more technical term for learning a whole culture's ways; socialization is broader and used in everyday academic writing.
- social interaction
- Focuses on the contact itself rather than the learning of social rules and values.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: socialization or socialism? socialization or socializing?
socialization vs socialism
Socialism is a political and economic system; socialization is the process of learning social rules or spending time with others.
socialization vs socializing
'Socializing' is the -ing form of the verb and often means the activity itself; 'socialization' more often names the long-term process studied in sociology.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'socialization' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Socialization is uncountable and names a process, so 'Socialization helps children learn...' is correct. 'A socialization' and 'The socialization are' are wrong because the word has no plural and does not take 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “socialization”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.