dehumanizing

adjective

de·​hu·​man·​iz·​ing (ˌ)dē-ˈ(h)yü-mə-ˌnī-ziŋ How to pronounce dehumanizing (audio)
: 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
This kind of language is deliberately dehumanizing: the athlete is referred to not as a person but as a "brand", throughout.Felix Salmon
Inmates 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
Not only are writers selling their products, they essentially become their products: author as commodity. It's a weirdly dehumanizing experience.Rachel Donadio
… the dehumanizing nastiness of having your intimate personal photos hacked …Joe Fay

Examples of dehumanizing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the film, Andrea — played by Uruguayan superstar Natalia Oreiro — must navigate a dehumanizing prison system, encountering other women in similar battles. Jamie Lang, Variety, 13 May 2025 It was used as a dehumanizing form of minstrelsy that further objectified Black men. Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 1 May 2025 This whole experience has been so disappointing, and it’s been extremely dehumanizing. James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025 Here was another example of Kim’s funny-angry recasting of an inherently abstract and dehumanizing form. Mara Mills, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dehumanizing was in 1817

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Cite this Entry

“Dehumanizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dehumanizing. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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