dehumanize
gb/dɪhjˈumənaɪz/ us/dɪhjˈumənaɪz/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
treat people as less than human
To treat someone like they are not a real person.
Usage pattern:
dehumanize [someone/a group]
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse with humanize (the opposite). Spelling varies: dehumanize (US) and dehumanise (UK).
Synonyms
degrade (More general; can mean lowering someone’s worth without explicitly denying their humanity.)
|
objectify (Focuses on treating someone as an object rather than a person, often sexually or commercially.)
|
depersonalize (More neutral; emphasizes removing a person’s individuality.)
Antonyms
humanize (Emphasizes someone’s humanity, individuality, and feelings.)
|
dignify (Treats someone with respect and dignity rather than contempt.)
Collocations
dehumanize people
|dehumanize a group
|dehumanize immigrants
|dehumanize minorities
|dehumanize women
|dehumanize the enemy
|dehumanize victims
|dehumanize opponents
|dehumanize rhetoric
|dehumanize through propaganda
Themes
society
|politics
|conflict
|ethics
|psychology
Examples
- The campaign used slurs to dehumanize immigrants and stir up fear.
- When people are dehumanized, it becomes easier for others to ignore their suffering.
- The report warned that calling victims “numbers” can dehumanize them.
Learner examples
- It is wrong to dehumanize people because of their religion.
- The speech tried to dehumanize the other side.
Verb
C1
process
2
make something impersonal or uncaring
To make something feel less personal and less caring.
Usage pattern:
dehumanize [a process/system/place/experience]
Common mistake:
Dehumanize is stronger than impersonal; it suggests people are treated like objects or machines.
Synonyms
depersonalize (A closer synonym; focuses on removing personal attention or identity.)
|
mechanize (Stresses replacing human work or judgment with machines or routines.)
|
bureaucratize (Highlights adding rules and procedures that can make people feel like cases or files.)
Antonyms
personalize (Adds individual attention and adapts to people’s needs.)
|
humanize (Makes a system or experience feel more caring and person-centered.)
Collocations
dehumanize the workplace
|dehumanize work
|dehumanize healthcare
|dehumanize education
|dehumanize customer service
|dehumanize a process
|dehumanize a system
|dehumanize bureaucracy
|dehumanize through automation
|dehumanize policy
Themes
business
|technology
|work
|health
|services
Examples
- Automated phone menus can dehumanize customer service when there’s no way to reach a person.
- Staff worried that the new targets would dehumanize care by reducing patients to statistics.
- The open-plan office was meant to encourage teamwork, but some employees felt it dehumanized their work.
Learner examples
- Some people think online forms dehumanize public services.
- The manager tried not to dehumanize the team with strict rules.
Verb
formal
C2
process
3
make art less human-centered
To make art feel less about human life and feelings.
Usage pattern:
dehumanize [art/literature/a narrative]
Common mistake:
This sense is mostly used in arts or literary criticism; in everyday conversation it usually means treating people cruelly.
Synonyms
abstract (Often overlaps, but abstract does not necessarily imply removing the human element.)
|
depersonalize (Emphasizes removing personal identity or emotional connection.)
Antonyms
humanize (Gives characters or art more human warmth, emotion, or realism.)
|
dramatize (Makes a work more vivid and emotionally engaging, often through human conflict.)
Collocations
dehumanize art
|dehumanize literature
|dehumanize a narrative
|dehumanize characters
|dehumanize a story
|dehumanize modernist art
Themes
arts
|literature
|media
Examples
- Some critics argued that the film’s cold style dehumanized the story’s characters.
- The exhibition was praised for innovation but criticized for dehumanizing art into pure technique.
- Her later poems dehumanize the speaker, replacing confession with distance and abstraction.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dehumanize
IPA
GB/dɪhjˈumənaɪz/
US/dɪhjˈumənaɪz/
Syllables & stress
de - hu - man - ize (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (hu)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: dehumanize
- 3rd Person Singular: dehumanizes
- Present Participle: dehumanizing
- Past: dehumanized
Word family
Forms
dehumanizes
verb
dehumanizing
verb
dehumanized
verb
Core family
dehumanization
noun
human
noun/adjective A2
Negative and opposite forms
inhuman
adjective
inhumane
adjective
inhumanity
noun
Advanced or less common
Expressions
dehumanize and demonize
1/dɪhjˈumənaɪz ˈænd dˈimənˌaɪz/
fixed phrase
formal
deny humanity and portray as evil
To call people non-human and also evil.
Examples
- The article argued that the tabloids dehumanize and demonize refugees.
- Online mobs often dehumanize and demonize public figures instead of discussing facts.
- The senator said the ads were meant to dehumanize and demonize his supporters.
dehumanize the enemy
1/dɪhjˈumənaɪz ðə ˈɛnəmi/
fixed phrase
formal
portray opponents as not human
To talk about opponents like they are not people.
Examples
- Propaganda posters tried to dehumanize the enemy to build support for the war.
- The commander warned his troops not to dehumanize the enemy or target civilians.
- Journalists criticized the coverage for language that seemed designed to dehumanize the enemy.
dehumanizing language
1/dihjˈumənˌaɪzɪŋ lˈæŋɡwɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
formal
words that strip people’s dignity
Language that treats people like they are not human.
Examples
- The guidelines ask staff to avoid dehumanizing language when describing patients.
- Activists called out the headline for using dehumanizing language about homeless people.
- Moderators removed posts that used dehumanizing language toward minority groups.