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dehumanization

American  
[dee-hyoo-muh-nahy-zey-shuhn, -yoo-] / diˌhyu məˌnaɪˈzeɪ ʃən, -ˌyu- /
especially British, dehumanisation

noun

  1. the act of regarding, representing, or treating a person or group as less than human.

    Dehumanization of the enemy is often what sustains the rationale for a war.

    Before trafficked humans are fully enslaved, they are drugged, tortured, and abused as part of the process of dehumanization.

  2. the process of depriving a person or population of human qualities or attributes such as compassion, dignity, individuality, etc..

    When science is not touched by a sense of moral values, it works—as it has done fairly consistently over the past century—toward a complete dehumanization of the social order.


Etymology

Origin of dehumanization

dehumaniz(e) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“So, for me it was part of saying, ‘Stop this dehumanization of Palestinian victims.’

From Los Angeles Times

Above all, he teaches them to resist their dehumanization by the evil men who tore them from their homes and loved ones.

From The Wall Street Journal

Drawing upon the lessons of history and the radical value of critical education, the Foro de Sevilla collective writes, “Auschwitz was much more than a concentration camp, it was a laboratory of dehumanization.”

From Salon

“Parade” understands that America’s original sin — slavery and the economic apparatus that sanctioned the dehumanization of groups deemed as “other” — can’t be divorced from Leo’s story.

From Los Angeles Times

"This is what starving people look like, rushing for food while risking their lives. This is what the dehumanization of millions of people looks like."

From BBC