objectify

verb

ob·​jec·​ti·​fy əb-ˈjek-tə-ˌfī 

objectified; objectifying

transitive verb

1

: to treat as an object or cause to have objective reality

They believe that beauty pageants objectify women.

2

: to give expression to (something, such as an abstract notion, feeling, or ideal) in a form that can be experienced by others

It is the essence of the fairy tale to objectify differing facets of the child's emotional experience …

—John Updike

objectification

əb-ˌjek-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Examples of objectify in a Sentence

She says beauty pageants objectify women.

Recent Examples on the Web

The question illuminated the ways Black people — their culture, their aesthetics, their literal bodies — are objectified and easily discarded under the white gaze. —Vox Staff, Vox, 3 June 2024

This event is typically looked back at as a moment when men got to freely objectify, sexualize, and often harass women on the streets, yet there are two women at the center of the production. —Rivea Ruff, Essence, 27 Mar. 2024

To evade being a victim of men’s objectification, women should subvert the male gaze by intentionally objectifying themselves and others. —Kayla Bartsch, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024

The problem arises only when the woman being objectified has no choice in the matter. —Kayla Bartsch, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

object entry 1 + -ify

First Known Use

circa 1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1