Definition of objectify
objectified
;objectifying
transitive verb
1 : to treat as an object or cause to have objective reality They believe that beauty pageants objectify women.
2 : to give expression to (something, such as an abstract notion, feeling, or ideal) in a form that can be experienced by others It is the essence of the fairy tale to objectify differing facets of the child's emotional experience … — John Updike
From the M-W Editors
Examples of objectify in a Sentence
She says beauty pageants objectify women.
Recent Examples of objectify from the Web
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Black, not white For example, where all women are objectified and hypersexualized in advertising, black women are far more often marked as hypersexual and subhuman.
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In an Entertainment Tonight video from 1992, Trump is heard objectifying a 10-year-old girl.
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His public interchanges with Howard Stern, which provided a kind of Greek chorus to their relationship, went from lewdly objectifying to grotesque.
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Beyond constantly being sexualized, a sex symbol’s interactions with us mere mortals are often objectifying.
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But when the President of the United States openly objectifies women, what once cut begins to grate dully.
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Meanwhile, many females continue to push the media to get representation for their capabilities as women, rather than being objectified.
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And Marvel chose to tackle this issue by turning it on its head and objectifying a male character.
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First awkward conversation between a father and son objectifying a woman: check.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'objectify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of objectify
circa 1837
OBJECTIFY Defined for English Language Learners
objectify
playDefinition of objectify for English Language Learners
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: to treat (someone) as an object rather than as a person
Learn More about objectify
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