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
Accepting this fact starts by remembering migrants' humanity, not dehumanizing them to fuel disagreement and fear.
—
Juan Wulff, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Terminating relationships is accountability, and that can feel uncomfortable for people who do indefensible things like voting for someone who may dehumanize their peers.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Dec. 2024
From the outset of this war, public statements by high-level Israeli officials have dehumanized Palestinians and called for genocidal acts, contributing to an overall pattern of conduct that reveals Israel's true intentions.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
And heretics, even if they’re not burned at the stake, are dehumanized, ostracized and denied any empathy and understanding.
—Arianna Huffington, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dehumanize 
Juan Wulff, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Terminating relationships is accountability, and that can feel uncomfortable for people who do indefensible things like voting for someone who may dehumanize their peers.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Dec. 2024
From the outset of this war, public statements by high-level Israeli officials have dehumanized Palestinians and called for genocidal acts, contributing to an overall pattern of conduct that reveals Israel's true intentions.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
And heretics, even if they’re not burned at the stake, are dehumanized, ostracized and denied any empathy and understanding.
—Arianna Huffington, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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My neighbor invited me to dinner, then humiliated me in front of the other women Miss Manners: Strangers keep telling me distressing stories.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2025
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The Ravens, particularly bruising runner Derrick Henry, humiliated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.—
Tim Graham,
The Athletic,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Particularly since the same poisonous influences that brutalized mostly peculiar women 400 years ago are alive and well today.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2025
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Hamas is no different than ISIS or al Qaeda or any of the worst of the worst that has so brutalized the Middle East over the years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In 2015, the Tribune reported on a broader phenomenon of lead poisoning plaguing children living in some of the poorest Chicago neighborhoods.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Jan. 2025
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These operations are often controlled by cartels and poison the surrounding natural environment with toxic chemicals.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dehumanize
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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