stigmatize

verb

stig·​ma·​tize ˈstig-mə-ˌtīz 

stigmatized; stigmatizing; stigmatizes

transitive verb

1

a

: to describe or regard (something, such as a characteristic or group of people) in a way that shows strong disapproval

"… Academic ableism accentuates ability and stigmatizes any weakness. …"

—Michele Cooke

The campaign strives to educate individuals and communities about mental illness to the point where they understand it well enough not to stigmatize it, which is similar to what's happened with physical illnesses over time.

—MacKenzie Tastan

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other substance use problems are considered diseases like any other, but are stigmatized as moral failure by many.

—Marcelo Campos

b

archaic : brand

2

: to mark with stigmata

stigmatization

ˌstig-mə-tə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of stigmatize in a Sentence

a legal system that stigmatizes juveniles as criminals

Recent Examples on the Web

The people in the story worry that Mr. Narayan’s bad behavior will stigmatize the whole community and, thus, cause all of them to be judged poorly. —Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024

Most people experience loneliness at some point in their lives and labeling people as lonely can be stigmatizing. —Allie Volpe, Vox, 13 Aug. 2024

Further, OpenAI says the tool's release could stigmatize non-native English speakers using ChatGPT for translation or to improve their writing, which the company argues is a legitimate use of the tool. —Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 5 Aug. 2024

At the height of Fish’s career, as recently as 2010, discussing mental health publicly was still stigmatized. —Susan Akyeampong, refinery29.com, 26 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

stigmatize

verb

stig·​ma·​tize ˈstig-mə-ˌtīz 

stigmatized; stigmatizing

: to mark with a stigma

especially : to describe or identify as disgraceful