as in to humiliate
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
being deprived of clothes dehumanized the prisoners
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Recent Examples of dehumanize
She was interrogated daily, Wang adds, and was subjected to daily medical exams that were meant to dehumanize her.
—
Aimée Ts'ao, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
Disturbing, dehumanizing rhetoric from senior Israeli government officials is reminiscent of the gravest of crimes.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 16 June 2025
This is what Qasem Hassan had feared from the start—that the horrific violence inflicted on Israelis on October 7th would be used to justify a war without limits, dehumanizing all Palestinians.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Hulu's Emmy-winning series pushed far beyond the events in Margaret Atwood's 1985 book, building to a rebellion in the totalitarian, patriarchal nation where women are dehumanized and used as vessels for breeding.
—EW.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Aimée Ts'ao, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
Disturbing, dehumanizing rhetoric from senior Israeli government officials is reminiscent of the gravest of crimes.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 16 June 2025
This is what Qasem Hassan had feared from the start—that the horrific violence inflicted on Israelis on October 7th would be used to justify a war without limits, dehumanizing all Palestinians.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Hulu's Emmy-winning series pushed far beyond the events in Margaret Atwood's 1985 book, building to a rebellion in the totalitarian, patriarchal nation where women are dehumanized and used as vessels for breeding.
—EW.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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Miller sought to shield these women, her suit said, and as a result she was humiliated, harassed and ultimately forced out of her job by Spitzer and Nelson.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
20 June 2025
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As Howard begins to humiliate Matt, the camera follows all angles of the table, making sure to showcase everyone’s reactions.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
17 June 2025
Verb
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The system that is now targeting and brutalizing immigrants of color has a long history of targeting and brutalizing Black, brown, and Indigenous communities across this country.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
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Musk is a man who grew up under Apartheid in South Africa, where Black South Africans were brutalized for decades.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Prior to foreign hunters visiting Uruguay and providing a financial incentive to keep the birds’ populations healthy, ducks were often poisoned en masse because they were seen as little more than crop raiders.—
Chris Dorsey,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Has sports gambling poisoned the relationship between athletes and fans?—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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