dehumanize

American  

[dee-hyoo-muh-nahyz, -yoo-] / diˈhyu məˌnaɪz, -ˈyu- /

especially British, dehumanise

verb (used with object)

dehumanized, dehumanizing

1. to regard, represent, or treat (a person or group) as less than human.

   Society still has a tendency to devalue and dehumanize those with disabilities and to suppress their voices.

2. to deprive of human qualities or attributes; divest of individuality.

   Conformity dehumanized him.

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dehumanize British  

/ diːˈhjuːməˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to deprive of human qualities

2. to render mechanical, artificial, or routine

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Other Word Forms

• dehumanization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of dehumanize

First recorded in 1810–20; de- + humanize

Explanation

To dehumanize someone is to make them either feel or appear somehow less than human. Laboring under terrible conditions can dehumanize workers, making them feel more like robots than people. War can dehumanize people in a few different ways. Violent or seemingly endless fighting might dehumanize soldiers, causing them to stop feeling normal human emotions. War propaganda might dehumanize the enemy, making people more willing to fight against and kill them. At the heart of dehumanize is human, and its Latin root humanus, which means both "human" and "humane, kind, or civilized."

Related Words

• abase
• degrade