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 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
To fall in love with a chatbot or rely on it for friendship — to me that’s a pretty good definition of dehumanizing.
—Nick Hilden, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2026
Immigration detainees have described life inside the west suburban processing facility as dehumanizing, a Tribune investigation over the summer found.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Additionally, there has been a climate of dehumanizing rhetoric by the nation's leaders, as well as a normalization of the use of threats and harassment against those on the other side of an issue, Hiller said.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing
Rory Doherty, Time, 7 Mar. 2026
To fall in love with a chatbot or rely on it for friendship — to me that’s a pretty good definition of dehumanizing.
—Nick Hilden, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2026
Immigration detainees have described life inside the west suburban processing facility as dehumanizing, a Tribune investigation over the summer found.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Additionally, there has been a climate of dehumanizing rhetoric by the nation's leaders, as well as a normalization of the use of threats and harassment against those on the other side of an issue, Hiller said.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanizing
Verb
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In her report, Soto accused Sibrian of allegedly mocking and humiliating her for her accent, immigration status and race and calling her stupid.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
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State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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The young woman who sojourned to Oberlin College, where she was wrongfully accused of poisoning her classmates and beaten half to death, who raised her hands in defense of herself, then went on to grip clay and rock and chisel to re-create visions of justice.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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Protesters, however, say that HERC, which neighbors Target Field near the North Loop neighborhood, is responsible for essentially poisoning people who live nearby.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanizing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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