demonize
verb
de·mon·ize
ˈdē-mə-ˌnīz 
demonized; demonizing; demonizes
: 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
John M. BroderThe 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
Zachary KarabellViolence 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
Peter TraversFor those who would forge a new environmental ethic, there is a constant temptation to demonize technology and deify nature.—Gina Maranto
Gina Maranto
demonization
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
Stryker McGuire and David Ansen
Examples of demonize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While fat was demonized as the nutrient causing weight gain in the 1990s, followed by carbs in the 2000s, protein sat by the sidelines as the official people pleaser of the macro-nutrient world.
—Reyna Gobel, NPR, 19 July 2025
Four decades ago, the press demonized extreme music.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
The Great Communicator knew that the best way to bring them into the GOP was to push meat-and-potato issues while not demonizing them.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
Reconciliation today Searching for a path forward, contemporary Sámi artist and Lutheran catechist Lars Levi Sunna began to produce church art that incorporated and celebrated pre-Christian Sámi symbols – some of the very traditions that had been demonized by clergy of the past.
—Thomas A. Dubois, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
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Reyna Gobel, NPR, 19 July 2025
Four decades ago, the press demonized extreme music.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
The Great Communicator knew that the best way to bring them into the GOP was to push meat-and-potato issues while not demonizing them.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2025
Reconciliation today Searching for a path forward, contemporary Sámi artist and Lutheran catechist Lars Levi Sunna began to produce church art that incorporated and celebrated pre-Christian Sámi symbols – some of the very traditions that had been demonized by clergy of the past.
—Thomas A. Dubois, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for demonize
Cite this Entry
“Demonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demonize. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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