deparochialize

Etymology

From de- + parochialize.

deparochialize means to make or become less parochial; to broaden into a more universal and sophisticated perspective. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why “deparochialize” is a great word

DEPAROCHIALIZE — [Verb] To make or become less parochial; to broaden from a narrow, local, or provincial outlook. Formed within English by derivation from the prefix de- (expressing removal or reversal) and the verb parochialize (to make parochial). First attested in 1862. Unlike cosmopolitanize, which seeks to impart the polish of global cities, or generalize, which often sacrifices specificity for breadth, to deparochialize is the deliberate shedding of a confined mindset. It is the quiet shock of encountering a great idea born in a foreign tongue, the discovery that a childhood certainty is merely one custom among thousands, and the slow, humbling recognition that one's village square is not the center of the universe—a patient education in the sheer size of being.

verb

To make or become less parochial; to broaden into a more universal and sophisticated perspective.“But doing so can also help deparochialize understandings, and illuminate the world, the other, and ultimately, one's own society and self.”