demonize

verb

de·​mon·​ize ˈdē-mə-ˌnīz 

demonized; demonizing; demonizes

transitive verb

: to portray (someone or something) as evil or as worthy of contempt or blame : vilify

But the Senate hearings have a broader purpose than exposing I.R.S. sins. They are a central element in a campaign by Congressional Republicans to demonize the tax agency, already the least loved of all Government bureaucracies.

—John M. Broder

The point is not to demonize business leaders. Their reasons for not hiring make eminent sense, given the incentives of the marketplace and the imperative to remain competitive.

—Zachary Karabell

Violence in the media has become the whipping boy of choice in these hypocritical times. It's easier to demonize a movie screen than to deal with the thorny issues of crime, racism, drugs, poverty and gun control.

—Peter Travers

For those who would forge a new environmental ethic, there is a constant temptation to demonize technology and deify nature.

—Gina Maranto

demonization

ˌdē-mə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

plural demonizations

In the Washington of Clinton and Gingrich, Dole and Buchanan, … the demonization of one's political foes has reached an epic frenzy.

—Stryker McGuire and David Ansen

Examples of demonize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But these nutritional powerhouses—and their yolks in particular—have been demonized for their cholesterol content in the past. —Sarah Scott, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2024

The Trump-Vance campaign has plucked the WCTU’s tools from the dustbin of history to demonize immigrants. —Elizabeth Marshall / Made By History, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024

Continuing to demonize the fossil fuel industry can mobilize those who share this view. —Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024

Some in the crowd questioned Musk’s entreaties to vote early, reflecting the possibility that Republicans are still persuading their supporters to embrace early voting after Trump spent years demonizing the method. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above