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
And as social media is woven ever deeper into every corner of our lives — school, work, civic engagement, religious participation — dehumanizing images like these become harder for even the squeamish to avoid.
—
Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Democrats who are the least racially resentful are the most likely to vilify and dehumanize Republicans.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
There is an effort by the radical left to dehumanize the MAGA movement.
—NBC news, 14 Sep. 2025
As revealed by social media, far too many Americans, even those who know better, are comfortable dehumanizing those with different thoughts than them.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Democrats who are the least racially resentful are the most likely to vilify and dehumanize Republicans.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
There is an effort by the radical left to dehumanize the MAGA movement.
—NBC news, 14 Sep. 2025
As revealed by social media, far too many Americans, even those who know better, are comfortable dehumanizing those with different thoughts than them.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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An Italian activist who was part of the Gaza aid flotilla and subsequently detained by Israel has described allegations of being mistreated and humiliated while in Israeli custody, with little access to legal assistance.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
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Even its most mean-spirited plotline, in which a married couple assemble a fake theater production to humiliate their ex-neighbor whose noisiness prompted them to move, is presented as more of a gentle exercise in silliness than anything truly vindictive.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Brock Lesnar's Road to WrestleMania The Beast brutalized Cena this past Saturday night and defeated him with relative ease after hitting six consecutive F-5's.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Gabe Kidd brutalized Ospreay, targeting the neck which he was set to have surgery on.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This creates unavoidable and intolerable conflicts of interest that poison the competitive dynamics that healthy markets require.—
Asad Ramzanali,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
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Hogan initially denied poisoning her estranged husband, according to police, but later changed her story.—
Mike Stunson,
Miami Herald,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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