Meanings
verbdecentralise (third-person singular simple present decentralises, present participle decentralising, simple past and past participle decentralised)
present singular third person decentralises · participle present decentralising · participle past decentralised · past decentralised · alternative decentralize
- UKTo cause something to change from being concentrated at one point to being distributed across a number of points.
- To reduce the authority of a governing body by distributing that authority among several bodies.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Englishde-
- Englishcentralise
- Englishdecentralise
From de- + centralise.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
decentralise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decentralise
MLA
“decentralise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decentralise. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decentralise,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decentralise.
Source: decentralise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.