as in to humiliate
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
being deprived of clothes dehumanized the prisoners
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Recent Examples of dehumanize
Nila’s shame about being Afghan in a world that dehumanizes Muslims is palpable on every page.
—
Laila Lalami, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025
Strong voices are good, but voices that hijack the conversation with an agenda and dehumanize other participants are not.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2025
Black people have for centuries called for more factual reporting that reflects their actual lives, because mainstream news has long criminalized and dehumanized their communities.
—Anita Varma, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2025
Pursuing a full head of honey blonde highlights or rocking a 613 was so heavily stigmatized that Black women who experimented with lighter colors were regularly subjected to dehumanizing comments about their appearance.
—Tayler Adigun, Essence, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Laila Lalami, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025
Strong voices are good, but voices that hijack the conversation with an agenda and dehumanize other participants are not.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2025
Black people have for centuries called for more factual reporting that reflects their actual lives, because mainstream news has long criminalized and dehumanized their communities.
—Anita Varma, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2025
Pursuing a full head of honey blonde highlights or rocking a 613 was so heavily stigmatized that Black women who experimented with lighter colors were regularly subjected to dehumanizing comments about their appearance.
—Tayler Adigun, Essence, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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In one sentence, Hegseth turned a conflict, in which Moscow had been roundly diminished and humiliated for three years, into the chaotic re-ordering of continental security, in which Moscow may somehow dominate to its west.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
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Zachary Basu Feb 15, 2025 - Politics & Policy Trump strangles Europe President Trump stunned, strangled and humiliated Europe — leaving America's closest continental ally dazed and dumbfounded.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Hamas has brutalized Gazans for years, cynically using civilians as shields by building operating bases in hospitals and elementary schools.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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The characters’ demeanor is itself a comment on the numbness felt by people who’ve been brutalized in such surreal fashion for so long.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Bolsonaro, the former far-right leader, is accused of plotting a coup to stay in power, inciting violence and hatching a plan to poison the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
19 Feb. 2025
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Lula was to be poisoned, while Moraes was to be shot by special forces, according to the indictment.—
Brady Knox,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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