DEHUMANIZE Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

dehumanize

verb

(ˌ)dē-ˈ(h)yü-mə-ˌnīz

Definition of dehumanize

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dehumanize Nydia Cardenas, Democratic candidate for Precinct 4 County commissioner, said the Republican majority on the Commissioners Court dehumanize the people in the jail and decided that the deaths in the jail are not an issue. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026 As Israel and the United States joined forces to attack Iran, and Israel pursued its proxies in Lebanon, rhetoric dehumanizing Jews also spiked. — Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026 Critics, however, accused lawmakers of dehumanizing migrants and weakening core protections. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026 Of the many cruel aspects of slavery, the shackles used to restrain and dehumanize more than12 million Africans across three centuries may be the most visceral tangible reminder. — Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for dehumanize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanize

Verb

After being publicly humiliated by Daemon Targaryen and lured to switch sides (with his dragon) to the Greens by Ormund Hightower, party animal Ulf is still drunk and MIA when the battle starts.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Each action can increase the pressure on the person being humiliated.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of humiliate

Verb

Each competitor was giving it their all with brutalizing chops, tough suplexes and going above and beyond to try to win that championship.

— Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
The same curriculum includes Prophet Muhammed’s history of brutalizing Christians and Jewish people — a framing that Muslim families and interfaith advocates found issue with in public comment.

— Rachel Royster. Produced with AI assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026

Definition of brutalize

Verb

The types of crimes weren’t spelled out, but imagine that a President, say, poisoned his estranged spouse and concealed the crime until after leaving the White House.

— Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Aegon refuses, so instead his own supporters poison him with wine.

— James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of poison

Browse Nearby Words

dégringolades

dehumanize

dehumanized

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“Dehumanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanize. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dehumanize

verb

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