as in humiliating
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 dehumanizing
The torture, abuse, and dehumanizing conditions these characters experience make this show a hard watch, especially as lawmakers continue to police and chip away at women’s reproductive rights at the federal and local level.
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Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 7 Nov. 2025
Some of these deportation efforts have been purposefully dehumanizing, like the opening of Alligator Alcatraz.
—William D. Lopez, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
The oversimplification of a complex developmental difference that exists on a spectrum of many different abilities and experiences is dehumanizing at best and dangerous at its worst, autism experts, advocacy groups and members of the community told USA TODAY.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
These aren’t random acts of violence—they’re the inevitable endpoint of a culture that has normalized dehumanizing those who express perspectives that differ from our own.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing
Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 7 Nov. 2025
Some of these deportation efforts have been purposefully dehumanizing, like the opening of Alligator Alcatraz.
—William D. Lopez, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
The oversimplification of a complex developmental difference that exists on a spectrum of many different abilities and experiences is dehumanizing at best and dangerous at its worst, autism experts, advocacy groups and members of the community told USA TODAY.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
These aren’t random acts of violence—they’re the inevitable endpoint of a culture that has normalized dehumanizing those who express perspectives that differ from our own.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanizing
Verb
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This announcement, humiliating the involved member, is harmful.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The charge comes as some advocates and community members have clamored for Illinois officials to pursue criminal cases against immigration agents who have been accused of brutalizing city and suburban residents during their 64-day Operation Midway Blitz in the fall.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
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Art the Clown likes brutalizing women.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Attorneys for a Utah children's book author accused of poisoning her husband to death are accusing members of the prosecution team of witness intimidation, just weeks before jury selection is set to begin in her high-profile murder trial.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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In the novel, the story instead concludes aboard the Princess Andromeda cruise ship, where Luke is tricked into confessing to poisoning Thalia’s tree, clearing Chiron’s name.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanizing. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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