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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dehumanize
How does expulsion dehumanize and what kinds of lives can be shaped in spite of chronic itineracy?
—
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
As with all wars, propaganda based on lies and exaggerations has permeated the media to dehumanize our enemy.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2025
Nila’s shame about being Afghan in a world that dehumanizes Muslims is palpable on every page.
—Laila Lalami, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025
Strong voices are good, but voices that hijack the conversation with an agenda and dehumanize other participants are not.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
As with all wars, propaganda based on lies and exaggerations has permeated the media to dehumanize our enemy.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2025
Nila’s shame about being Afghan in a world that dehumanizes Muslims is palpable on every page.
—Laila Lalami, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025
Strong voices are good, but voices that hijack the conversation with an agenda and dehumanize other participants are not.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize
Verb
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No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’ An August 2024 report by Columbia’s task force on antisemitism found that Jews and Israelis at Columbia were often ostracized and humiliated on campus.—
Solcyré Burga,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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The whole point is to humiliate weaker men – and to subjugate women.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Hamas has brutalized Gazans for years, cynically using civilians as shields by building operating bases in hospitals and elementary schools.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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The characters’ demeanor is itself a comment on the numbness felt by people who’ve been brutalized in such surreal fashion for so long.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Sergio Pino’s attorney Deanna Shifrin denied the poisoning allegations, pointing to comments Tatiana made in a December 2023 deposition stating that no healthcare provider had concluded she had been poisoned.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2025
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Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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