Unionized and unionized are two words that are spelled identically but are pronounced differently and have different meanings, which makes them heteronyms. We will examine the definitions of the words unionized and unionized, where these words came from, and a few examples of their use in sentences.
Unionized (YOU yun eyezd) describes a group of people who have formed a labor union. A labor union is a coalition of workers who bargain as a unit with employers for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Unionized is an adjective or a verb; related words are unionize, unionizes, unionized. The word unionized is derived from the Latin word unionem, meaning oneness, and the suffix -ize, which is used to change nouns into verbs.
Unionized (un EYE uhn eyezd) describes something that is not ionized. When something is ionized, its atoms or molecules lose electrons and becomes electrically charged. Something that is unionized does not carry an electrical charge. Unionized is based on the word ion, a word coined from the Greek word ion, which means to go.
Examples
Production of the company’s parkas was once fully unionized, but labor organizers say the owners have taken a harder line in recent years. (New York Times)
In the complaint, the union accuses the town of changing the workload for two jobs and posting vacancies within the Finance Department before those jobs were officially unionized, despite previously agreeing that the jobs should be union positions. (Salem News)
Unionized molecules are usually lipid soluble and can diffuse across cell membranes. (Basic Pharmacological Principles)
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