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
But what’s even creepier is Remmick’s invitation to the holdouts to join them, promising an escape from dehumanizing cruelty into a fellowship that offers an eternal life of freedom and enlightenment.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Empathy disappears, justice is dismissed, and the people who live in the land are dehumanized.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
School staff wouldn't face punishment For using students' incorrect pronouns under bill
Another Iowa student, 14-year-old Berry Stevens, who uses they/them pronouns, said the bill allowed adults and students in schools to go out of their way to dehumanize others.
—Sabine Martin, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
In contrast, today’s autocrats mock the poor, dehumanize immigrants, twist faith into a weapon, and spread hatred cloaked in religion.
—Rev. Frank Alagna, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Empathy disappears, justice is dismissed, and the people who live in the land are dehumanized.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
School staff wouldn't face punishment For using students' incorrect pronouns under bill
Another Iowa student, 14-year-old Berry Stevens, who uses they/them pronouns, said the bill allowed adults and students in schools to go out of their way to dehumanize others.
—Sabine Martin, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
In contrast, today’s autocrats mock the poor, dehumanize immigrants, twist faith into a weapon, and spread hatred cloaked in religion.
—Rev. Frank Alagna, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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In a display of brute aggression, cartel operatives humiliated Mexican officials by forcing the government to release Mr. Guzmán López shortly after he was captured.—
Alan Feuer,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
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But in Trump’s White House, the goal may be simpler—and harder: not getting humiliated.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 May 2025
Verb
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The last time a Padres bullpen was brutalized like this over a five-game stretch was in 1977.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2025
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Here in Los Angeles, as in much of coastal California where the roads and highways are broken and brutalized due to overpopulation, a plush airbag suspension paired with this punchy hybrid powertrain would serve well, very well indeed.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Years later, the toxic chemicals have poisoned Hong-rang’s body.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
16 May 2025
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And two, baking soda is an indiscriminate weed killer that poisons the soil.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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