stig·ma·tize
ˈstig-mə-ˌtīz 
stigmatized; stigmatizing; stigmatizes
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
Michele CookeThe 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
MacKenzie TastanAlcohol use disorder (AUD) and other substance use problems are considered diseases like any other, but are stigmatized as moral failure by many.—Marcelo Campos
Marcelo Campos
b
archaic
: brand
2
: to mark with stigmata
stig·ma·ti·za·tion
variants
also British stigmatisation
ˌstigmətə̇ˈzāshən,
-mətə̇ˈz-,
-məˌtīˈz-
plural -s
1
: an act or instance of stigmatizing
a government stigmatization which would deter the public from consideration of the opinions of the party—Civil Liberty
Civil Liberty2
: the production of what are believed to be supernatural stigmata on the body
Examples of stigmatize in a Sentence
Verb
a legal system that stigmatizes juveniles as criminals
Recent Examples on the Web
Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 18 June 2026
Dead babies have no voice, and the families devastated by congenital syphilis are too stigmatized to speak up.
—Jeffrey D. Klausner, STAT, 17 June 2026
In the City of Brotherly Love, Sirianni is stigmatized by the widespread perception of his limitations as an offensive strategist, and he’s often marginalized as a glorified caretaker of an operation fueled by an elite owner, rock-star GM, brilliant defensive coordinator and talent-rich roster.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026
There’ll be bits of the media, the right-wing press, for instance, who will have already put in some hard work stigmatizing asylum seekers or other groups of immigrants.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stigmatize
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Verb
Research has also shown that AI chatbots reproduce stigmatized messages about certain mental health conditions such as alcoholism and schizophrenia.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 18 June 2026
Dead babies have no voice, and the families devastated by congenital syphilis are too stigmatized to speak up.
—Jeffrey D. Klausner, STAT, 17 June 2026
In the City of Brotherly Love, Sirianni is stigmatized by the widespread perception of his limitations as an offensive strategist, and he’s often marginalized as a glorified caretaker of an operation fueled by an elite owner, rock-star GM, brilliant defensive coordinator and talent-rich roster.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026
There’ll be bits of the media, the right-wing press, for instance, who will have already put in some hard work stigmatizing asylum seekers or other groups of immigrants.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stigmatize
Cite this Entry
“Stigmatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stigmatize. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stigmatize
verb
stig·ma·tize
ˈstig-mə-ˌtīz
stigmatized; stigmatizing
: to mark with a stigma
especially
: to describe or identify as disgraceful
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