Decommunizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of removing symbols, policies, or influences associated with communist ideology and governance; erasing or altering communist-era names, monuments, or practices; promoting a political or cultural shift away from communist doctrines
2. Actions aimed at eliminating the presence of communist elements within institutions, societies, or histories; dismantling or revising structures and symbols tied to communist regimes; encouraging ideological change toward non-communist frameworks
3. The systematic effort to discard or reverse the legacy of communist systems in political, social, or cultural realms; renaming places and removing iconography linked to communist rule; fostering transitions that reject communist principles and practices

Etymology: "Decommunizing" is the continuous form of "decommunize," a verb built from the prefix "de-" and "communize." The prefix "de-" means "remove" or "reverse," so the verb means to strip communist influence from a state, institution or society. "Communize" is the older base, formed on "communist" with the suffix "-ize," which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make or treat in a certain way." Adding "de-" to it produces the sense of undoing that process rather than carrying it out. The word is a straightforward formation from English parts, so its history lies in what each piece contributes rather than in any surprising shift of meaning. Its use has mostly been political, as in the removal of communist-era symbols, officials or laws from public life.

Synonyms: decommunising

Antonyms: communizing, communising