dehumanize
Treat as subhuman
To dehumanize is to strip away someone's human qualities or dignity, treating them as less than human.
Propaganda often dehumanizes enemies by portraying them as animals or vermin.
Systems can dehumanize through bureaucratic indifference: The prison's policies dehumanized inmates.
The word implies moral violation—reducing persons to objects or categories denies their fundamental humanity.
Treat with cruel violence
- tortureDeliberate infliction of suffering
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- oppressUnjustly burden or dominate
- enslaveForce into bondage
exploit · terrorize · victimize · subjugate · mistreat · persecute · atrocity · barbarism
Lower in standing
brutalize · depersonalize · animalize · commodify · otherize · humiliate · reduce · belittle
Attack someone's reputation
- scapegoatUnfairly blamed person
- demonizePortray as utterly evil
- stigmatizeMark with dishonor
- ostracizeExclude from a group
marginalize · alienate · brand · outcast · excommunicate · blacklist · shame · condemn
Lacking physical sensation
- callousCruelly insensitive to others
- hardenMake or become firm
- detachTo separate from
- dissociateSever a mental link
cold-blooded · unfeeling · indifferent · apathetic · mechanize · roboticize · automate · alienate
brutalize
Treat with cruel violence
- tortureDeliberate infliction of suffering
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- oppressUnjustly burden or dominate
enslave · exploit · terrorize · victimize · subjugate · mistreat · persecute · atrocity · barbarism · savagery
demean
Lower in standing
objectify · brutalize · depersonalize · animalize · commodify · otherize · humiliate · reduce · belittle · denigrate
vilify
Attack someone's reputation
- scapegoatUnfairly blamed person
- demonizePortray as utterly evil
- stigmatizeMark with dishonor
ostracize · marginalize · alienate · brand · outcast · excommunicate · blacklist · shame · condemn · anathematize
numb
Lacking physical sensation
dissociate · cold-blooded · unfeeling · indifferent · apathetic · mechanize · roboticize · automate · alienate · estrange
dehumanizehumanize
Make more relatable
humanise · dignify · rehumanize · respect · honor
dehumanization, dehumanizing, dehumanized, dehumanizer, dehumanizes, dehumanise, dehumanised, dehumanises, dehumanisation