as in humiliating
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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Recent Examples of dehumanizing
Kansas City’s Democratic congressman Emanuel Cleaver condemned the warehouse proposal as dehumanizing in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
—
Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 15 Jan. 2026
Polak is a symbol of virtue where conscience reigns over fear and intimidation to refute the hateful and divisive rhetoric of people like Charile Kirk who self-righteously relished in denigrating and dehumanizing others in a most un-Christian way.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Is it meant to be galvanizing to watch an avatar of dehumanizing capitalism get taken down a peg by an even crueler villain?
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Some of these deportation efforts have been purposefully dehumanizing, like the opening of Alligator Alcatraz.
—William D. Lopez, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing
Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 15 Jan. 2026
Polak is a symbol of virtue where conscience reigns over fear and intimidation to refute the hateful and divisive rhetoric of people like Charile Kirk who self-righteously relished in denigrating and dehumanizing others in a most un-Christian way.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Is it meant to be galvanizing to watch an avatar of dehumanizing capitalism get taken down a peg by an even crueler villain?
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Some of these deportation efforts have been purposefully dehumanizing, like the opening of Alligator Alcatraz.
—William D. Lopez, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dehumanizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dehumanizing
Verb
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First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The charge comes as some advocates and community members have clamored for Illinois officials to pursue criminal cases against immigration agents who have been accused of brutalizing city and suburban residents during their 64-day Operation Midway Blitz in the fall.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
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Art the Clown likes brutalizing women.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There are even tales of them poisoning people and holding funerals for their dead.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dehumanizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dehumanizing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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