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
Schmid thinks stan culture need not be demonized, but used as a force for good.
—David Oliver, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2025
No one likes to be yelled at; none of us want to feel demonized for our mistakes.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
This is mainly an effort to discredit and demonize property taxes, which DeSantis wants to abolish or severely curtail in Florida.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2025
But that, too, is part of the tension: if Superman is a refugee who stands up to bullies, who uses his power to shield the powerless, then what happens when audiences draw connections between that ethos and the very people being demonized by Western governments?
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for demonize
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David Oliver, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2025
No one likes to be yelled at; none of us want to feel demonized for our mistakes.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
This is mainly an effort to discredit and demonize property taxes, which DeSantis wants to abolish or severely curtail in Florida.
—Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2025
But that, too, is part of the tension: if Superman is a refugee who stands up to bullies, who uses his power to shield the powerless, then what happens when audiences draw connections between that ethos and the very people being demonized by Western governments?
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 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 19 Aug. 2025.
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