English

Alternative forms

• Balkanise, balkanise
• balkanize

Verb

Balkanize ‎(third-person singular simple present Balkanizes, present participle Balkanizing, simple past and past participle Balkanized)

1. To break up into small, mutually hostile units, especially political units.

Translations

Related terms

• Balkan, Balkans
• Balkanization, Balkanisation

English

Verb

balkanize ‎(third-person singular simple present balkanizes, present participle balkanizing, simple past and past participle balkanized)

1. Alternative letter-case form of Balkanize
   • 2007, January 17, “Michael Slackman”, in Hangings Fuel Sectarian Split Across Mideast:

     And while political analysts and government officials in the region say the spreading Sunni disillusionment with Shiites and their backers in Iran will benefit Sunni-led governments and the United States, they and others worry that the tensions could start to balkanize the region as they have in Iraq itself.