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↔️ To move off-center 🔄 To shift focus
to decenter

to decenter

7.3
To move something away from the middle to make space or a new look
  • verb
  • /diːˈsɛntər/
translation icon : descentralizar
  • The documentary aims to decenter the narrative by highlighting voices from underrepresented communities.
  • decentering strategies

Examples

  • In part, in response to the vastly different profiles of immigrant origins in the United States since 1965, scholarship has expanded to decenter Europe as the only continent of origin of emigrants.

    Academic text (1999)

  • If the market is fragmented in organizational terms, it may also be decentered geographically (or at least there are pressures pulling it in diverse directions and away from the center).

    Academic text (2007)

  • The country has a political center, but it remains, in every other sense, decentered.

    Academic text (1990)

  • It takes an ontological model based on the idea of a center to understand what is meant by decentering.

    Academic text (1995)

  • In online life, selves are made and transformed by language, and the notion of a decentered identity with multiple aspects is concretized by virtual experiences.

    Academic text (1997)

  • They have been decentered in a double sense: physically, they were scattered all over a self-destructive city; intellectually, they moved in separate spheres.

    Academic text (1993)

  • To promote inclusivity, the organization decided to decenter traditional practices and incorporate diverse cultural perspectives.

  • In her research, she proposed a model that would decenter the dominant theories in favor of more marginalized viewpoints.

Synonyms

to diminish
vsto decenter
201 3.7

To become less in size, importance, or value

focuses specifically on shifting away from central position or power
to reduce
vsto decenter
162 2.1

To make something weaker or in a worse state

concerns moving away from center or cutting central importance rather than lowering rank
to deemphasize
vsto decenter
  • US
2 5.9

Make an idea or topic seem less important

reduces centrality or dominance rather than only lowering attention
to deconcentrate
vsto decenter
  • Formal
8.3

To move power and services from a central office to local offices

is about moving away from the center or lowering central dominance

Antonyms

to centralize
  • US
10 5.6

To move work and control into one place or under one leader

How Central

to centralize
  • US
10 5.6
to recenter
  • US
4.8
to decenter
7.3
to marginalize
  • US
81 7.4

Surface Forms

decenter infinitive
decentered past
decentered past participle
decentering present participle
decents third person singular

Morphology

decenter = center (transparent) = de + center

The verb is a regular reversal or removal formation from 'center', meaning to remove from the center or reduce centrality.

Etymology

Decenter starts with de- meaning 'away' and the word center. It means to move something away from the middle, like placing a painting or a table off the center to change the look.