Unionized is an adjective describing a group or organization that has formed a union, typically through collective bargaining. It is used to indicate members who are organized for labor representation, or to refer to the condition of being part of a union. The term often appears in discussions of labor rights, workplace policy, and collective bargaining dynamics.
"The factory became unionized after workers voted to form a labor union."
"A unionized workforce often negotiates better wages and benefits."
"The company faced pressure from its unionized employees to address safety concerns."
"Unions in the region are unionized across several industries, including manufacturing and transportation."
Unionized derives from union, which comes from the Latin unio, meaning ‘a whole, unity, union,’ from unus, meaning ‘one.’ The suffix -ize, from Greek -izein, denotes causing to become or to render. The noun union entered English in the 14th century via Old French union, while the modern sense of workers forming a labor union developed in the 19th century with the expansion of industrial labor organizing. The verb form unionize appeared in the late 19th to early 20th century, meaning to organize into a union. The adjective unionized surfaces as the past participle used attributively or predicatively to describe the workforce or organization as having formed or being under the influence of a union. First known uses appear in labor and political writings of the early 20th century as unions gained formal recognition in labor law.
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Words that rhyme with "Unionized"
-ned sounds
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Pronounce as juːˈnaɪənaɪzd (US/UK alike in core sounds). The word has four syllables with primary stress on the third: u-ni-o-nized. Start with an unstressed
Common errors include stressing the wrong syllable (often dorsed as U-ni-UN-ized), flattening the diphthong in the first syllable to a plain 'you' instead of 'yoo-'), and mispronouncing the final -ized as -ized rather than -aɪzd. Remember that the key vowel chain in the third syllable is a long /aɪ/ as in 'eye' and the final -zed is voiced /zd/.
US and UK share /juːˈnaɪə.naɪzd/ with rhoticity affecting the r-coloring only in American speech if present earlier; in nonrhotic UK varieties, /ˈjuː.njə.naɪzd/ shows a shorter central vowel in the second syllable and a less pronounced /r/ influence. Australian accents preserve the same four-syllable pattern with a clear /aɪ/ in the third syllable, but may reduce the /j/ glide slightly after the first vowel.
Difficulties arise from the multi-syllabic structure and the sequence /juː/ + /naɪ/ creating a strong '/j/' glide into a high front diphthong, followed by the /ə/ reduced syllable, and finally /naɪzd/ with the voiced -zd consonant cluster. Speakers often misplace stress, mispronounce /juː/ as /uː/, or compress the central syllable. Clear articulation of /n/ in the central syllable and the /zd/ ending helps balance rhythm.
The word’s combination of a four-syllable structure with a three-consonant ending cluster (‑n‑i‑z‑ed) and the central /aɪ/ diphthong in the third syllable creates a distinctive flow. It also features a nontrivial sequence of syllables with alternating vowel qualities. You’ll often search for guidance on correct stress placement (third syllable) and maintaining the /juː/ initial cluster.
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