as in to humiliate
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
men who had been bestialized by war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bestialize
Verb
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In the dormitory, the classroom, and on the football team, where Negroes were allowed only to be linebackers, he was humiliated.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026 -
The gesture provoked a seismic reaction internationally while infuriating Olympic officials who claimed Smith and Carlos used the world stage to humiliate their home country.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Turns out, Chris lied about touching a stone mid-play and has quietly poisoned every victory and memory the team has enjoyed since.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
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Boundaries protect quality of output and prevent resentment from poisoning relationships.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sociologist Anthony Cortese found that in popular culture black women are often othered, animalized and exoticized, associating women of color with primitivity or wild sexuality.—
Katie Edwards,
Washington Post,
14 July 2017
Verb
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Bad Bunny, Kehlani, Olivia Dean, Shaboozey, SZA, and Billie Eilish all used their platforms at the Grammys to talk about how ICE is dehumanizing immigrants and terrorizing American communities.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
9 Feb. 2026
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The racist imagery is strategically embedded within a larger narrative promoting false election fraud conspiracy theories, designed to dehumanize Black and brown voters as threats to democracy and to justify restricting their participation in elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This week, as Connecticut residents remain priced out of basic necessities and watch their own government brutalize civilians in the streets, Congress is finally ready to take action — by asking you for $5,000.—
State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest,
Hartford Courant,
10 Feb. 2026
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Again, not too thick and not too thin, but just right in protecting those tender areas that rental boots tend to brutalize.—
Jonathan Thompson,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Bestialize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bestialize. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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