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
The Coalition for the Homeless says the city's unhoused are often dehumanized and criminalized.
—
Jennifer Bisram, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
In a world that often feels fragmented and dehumanized, reclaiming this universality is an ethical act.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Those included flattering depictions of world leaders as powerful men, or dehumanizing depictions of opposition leaders.
—Stuart A. Thompson, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Creature thinks his suffering can only cease if it is replicated in another, and expresses this desire through possessive, dehumanizing language.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Jennifer Bisram, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
In a world that often feels fragmented and dehumanized, reclaiming this universality is an ethical act.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Those included flattering depictions of world leaders as powerful men, or dehumanizing depictions of opposition leaders.
—Stuart A. Thompson, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Creature thinks his suffering can only cease if it is replicated in another, and expresses this desire through possessive, dehumanizing language.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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Those who don’t get the job leave diminished, sometimes humiliated, and the institution absorbs the damage quietly for years.—
Paul Hardart,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
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Blue is officially fired for injecting a patient with an unapproved drug, and in a devastating twist, he is humiliated by and forced to give his badge back to Richard in front of Catherine (Debbie Allen).—
Max Gao,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Enslaved people were often punished, beaten, or further brutalized for showing emotion, grieving openly or resisting in visible ways.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
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Euthanasia decisions are already brutalizing for dog owners, and those decisions may become even more fraught.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The latter activity gives them some solid ground to plant their hooves on when George abruptly turns up dead one morning, poisoned by an unknown suspect.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
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One of us even faced an assassination plot in Canada and concluded he was poisoned in Russia for defending Iranian human rights lawyers and Russian dissidents.—
Irwin Cotler,
Time,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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