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

The corset Gein made seemed to stick in certain authors’ minds, as the case has been fictionalized and used to demonize the trans community multiple times. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025

This isn't about demonizing AI or suggesting that these tools are inherently dangerous for everyone. —ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025

Now 38, the author, activist and journalist also hosted The Scarlet Letter Reports, a Vice/Facebook Watch interview series featuring notable women who rebuilt their lives after being demonized by the media. —Danielle Directo-Meston, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025

As much as it has been demonized, Americans benefit from global trade every single day. —The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for demonize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize