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

It’s being used to demonize and terrorize the Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio; Musk has personally promoted some ugly posts. —Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2024

Trump — and the Republican Party in his thrall — has embraced anti-immigrant policies and proposals, peddled racist stereotypes, and demonized immigrants. —Christian Paz, Vox, 25 Sep. 2024

Neither of us are interested in judging or demonizing or vilifying these people. —Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2024

But fracking has been demonized by many, especially on the political left, banned in a number of countries in Europe and elsewhere basically by modern day Luddites. —Michael Lynch, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above