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
In each project, shifting scale becomes a way to recover empathy from systems that abstract and dehumanize.
—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
24 May 2026
Hate speech uses feelings, emotions and attitudes that seek to dehumanize individuals or groups.
—
Nathalie Japkowicz,
The Conversation,
18 May 2026
In particular, when politicians use demonizing or dehumanizing rhetoric to attack their opponents— for example, using words that depict their opponents as subhuman— this fosters extremism and helps motivate extremists to hurt their opponents physically.
—
James Piazza,
Twin Cities,
30 Apr. 2026
Nor is the bishop of Rome trying to humiliate or dehumanize his opponent.
—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
24 May 2026
Hate speech uses feelings, emotions and attitudes that seek to dehumanize individuals or groups.
—
Nathalie Japkowicz,
The Conversation,
18 May 2026
In particular, when politicians use demonizing or dehumanizing rhetoric to attack their opponents— for example, using words that depict their opponents as subhuman— this fosters extremism and helps motivate extremists to hurt their opponents physically.
—
James Piazza,
Twin Cities,
30 Apr. 2026
Nor is the bishop of Rome trying to humiliate or dehumanize his opponent.
—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
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Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
Verb
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Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society.
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Family Photo The family had fled the Congo after Carine, an activist, was brutalized for speaking out against the ruling regime.
Verb
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Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
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As a final comedic beat, Krypto immediately gets into some chocolate — a playful contrast to his earlier near-death experience after being poisoned by Krem.
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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