as in to poison
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
six months of solitary living in the jungle would animalize anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 animalize
Sociologist Anthony Cortese found that in popular culture black women are often othered, animalized and exoticized, associating women of color with primitivity or wild sexuality.
—
Katie Edwards, Washington Post, 14 July 2017
Katie Edwards, Washington Post, 14 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animalize
Verb
-
Harold had been given a root beer float, poisoned with ethylene glycol purchased by Ashley, as those damning text messages showed.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
But Antonelli also questioned reports the two had been deliberately poisoned.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Rockies have been humiliated before in their first home game, but never as badly as this.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The leadership of the country that has threatened the stability and prosperity of the world will eventually be ousted, disempowered and humiliated.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Coalition for the Homeless says the city's unhoused are often dehumanized and criminalized.—
Jennifer Bisram,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In a world that often feels fragmented and dehumanized, reclaiming this universality is an ethical act.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, human rights groups say migrants are being brutalized and pushed back illegally at EU borders, while legal protections are increasingly being hollowed out.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Animalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animalize. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
