as in dehumanizing
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
six months of solitary living in the jungle would animalize anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animalizing
Verb
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To fall in love with a chatbot or rely on it for friendship — to me that’s a pretty good definition of dehumanizing.—
Nick Hilden,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026 -
Immigration detainees have described life inside the west suburban processing facility as dehumanizing, a Tribune investigation over the summer found.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cindy Sommer — Todd’s widow, accused of poisoning her husband.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
2 Mar. 2026
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Lauber’s testimony Thursday is pivotal to the prosecution of Kouri Richins, who is accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The charge comes as some advocates and community members have clamored for Illinois officials to pursue criminal cases against immigration agents who have been accused of brutalizing city and suburban residents during their 64-day Operation Midway Blitz in the fall.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
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Art the Clown likes brutalizing women.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Animalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animalizing. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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