dehumanizing
adjective
de·hu·man·iz·ing
(ˌ)dē-ˈ(h)yü-mə-ˌnī-ziŋ 
: depriving someone of human qualities, personality, or dignity : demeaning or damaging to a person's humanity or individuality
a dehumanizing caricature/slur
dehumanizing statistics
Before even being allowed to call a lawyer, the arrestee is faced with the dehumanizing treatment of a strip search …—
John W. Whitehead
John W. WhiteheadThis kind of language is deliberately dehumanizing: the athlete is referred to not as a person but as a "brand", throughout.—Felix Salmon
Felix SalmonInmates at the South Carolina prison cited dehumanizing conditions such as a lack of sunlight, poor and insufficient food, and few rehabilitative programs as reasons they lost hope.—Aaron Cantú
Aaron CantúNot only are writers selling their products, they essentially become their products: author as commodity. It's a weirdly dehumanizing experience.—Rachel Donadio
Rachel Donadio… the dehumanizing nastiness of having your intimate personal photos hacked …—Joe Fay
Joe FayExamples of dehumanizing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Weekly Newsletter Audiences were asked to consider that the display of human difference was dehumanizing or even exploitative but also to understand that the sideshow represented a locus of community and a way for disabled performers to make an independent living.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Trump’s mercy extends not just to political supporters but to those who share his most dehumanizing instincts.
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
The one superlative aspect everybody seems to agree on is Jacob Elordi’s performance as the monster; the young actor manages to push through the dehumanizing makeup and frequent gore to find the soul of not just his character but the film.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Relief and health workers say these other methods of delivering food in Gaza, including the GHF sites and aid pallet drops from planes, are dehumanizing and inaccessible for many Palestinians, and expose them to injury or death.
—Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
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JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Trump’s mercy extends not just to political supporters but to those who share his most dehumanizing instincts.
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
The one superlative aspect everybody seems to agree on is Jacob Elordi’s performance as the monster; the young actor manages to push through the dehumanizing makeup and frequent gore to find the soul of not just his character but the film.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Relief and health workers say these other methods of delivering food in Gaza, including the GHF sites and aid pallet drops from planes, are dehumanizing and inaccessible for many Palestinians, and expose them to injury or death.
—Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dehumanizing. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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