demonize

verb

de·​mon·​ize ˈdē-mə-ˌnīz How to pronounce demonize (audio)
demonized; demonizing; demonizes

transitive verb

: to portray (someone or something) as evil or as worthy of contempt or blame : vilify
But the Senate hearings have a broader purpose than exposing I.R.S. sins. They are a central element in a campaign by Congressional Republicans to demonize the tax agency, already the least loved of all Government bureaucracies.John M. Broder
The point is not to demonize business leaders. Their reasons for not hiring make eminent sense, given the incentives of the marketplace and the imperative to remain competitive.Zachary Karabell
Violence in the media has become the whipping boy of choice in these hypocritical times. It's easier to demonize a movie screen than to deal with the thorny issues of crime, racism, drugs, poverty and gun control.Peter Travers
For those who would forge a new environmental ethic, there is a constant temptation to demonize technology and deify nature.Gina Maranto
demonization noun
plural demonizations
In the Washington of Clinton and Gingrich, Dole and Buchanan, … the demonization of one's political foes has reached an epic frenzy. Stryker McGuire and David Ansen

Examples of demonize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But despite this, we get demonized and called deplorables. Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025 Born as the only child to a father who yearned for a son, Yuri was raised to fear mysterious primate species known as ochi, who are demonized by the local population. Jamie Lang, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025 He was also consistently demonized by U.S. leaders and surveilled by the federal government. Char Adams, NBC News, 21 Jan. 2025 Closing legal arguments were made Thursday in the case, which will in part be a test of the public perception of the press, and CNN in particular, after years of being demonized by President-elect Donald Trump and his acolytes. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for demonize 

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of demonize was in 1817

Dictionary Entries Near demonize

Cite this Entry

“Demonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demonize. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.

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