stigmatize

American  

[stig-muh-tahyz] / ˈstɪg məˌtaɪz /

especially British, stigmatise

verb (used with object)

stigmatized, stigmatizing

1. to set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon.

   The crime of the father stigmatized the whole family.

2. to mark with a stigma or brand.

3. to produce stigmata, marks, spots, or the like, on.

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stigmatize British  

/ ˈstɪɡməˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to mark out or describe (as something bad)

2. to mark with a stigma or stigmata

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Other Word Forms

• destigmatize verb (used with object)
• stigmatization noun
• stigmatizer noun
• unstigmatized adjective

Etymology

Origin of stigmatize

1575–85; < Medieval Latin stigmatizāre, equivalent to stigmat- ( stigmatic ) + -izāre -ize

Example Sentences

Even a clear definition of UPFs runs the risk of stigmatizing certain healthy foods.

From MarketWatch

As World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill wrote in a new report, that conclusion helped “stigmatize” industrial policy just as a leap forward in transport and communications technologies spurred a period of intense globalization.

From The Wall Street Journal

He told Salon that equating drug traffickers with terrorist is meant to “stigmatize and terrify people.”

From Salon

Critics of involuntary civil-commitment programs argue they violate civil liberties and stigmatize mental illness.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We were stigmatized, our benefits were taken away, and we were denied the opportunity to work in Venezuela,” said Polanco, the petroleum engineer.

From Los Angeles Times