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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Less than a week after that defeat, Arteta was rapidly thrust into his first ever managerial role at the club Guardiola had just humiliated, taking over at Arsenal and becoming the youngest manager in the league.—
Thomas Schlachter,
CNN Money,
23 May 2026
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Black athletes were welcome at white institutions only once those colleges and universities were humiliated into recruiting them.—
Jemele Hill,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Verb
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While Roger Federer is depicted as James Bond, in a tux, elegant and wrinkle-free, Nadal is called Rambo, ripped and relentless, brutalizing the ball and opponents alike.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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Now eighteen of those 37 residents are filing complaints under the Federal Tort Claims Act, saying they were unlawfully arrested and brutalized by federal agents during the military-style raid.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The defense pushed back on the state's claim that Kouri had tried to poison Eric weeks earlier with that Valentine's Day sandwich.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
24 May 2026
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The chemotherapy doctors are poisoning you.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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