demonize
verb (used with object)
to misrepresent (someone or something) as thoroughly evil or contemptible; malign.
demonized
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past participleof demonize.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof demonize.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
demonizeverb (used with object)to misrepresent (someone or something) as thoroughly evil or contemptible; malign.
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.
Although politics in Israel is at least as polarized as in the U.S., he hasn’t demonized the other side and has mostly avoided personal attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
He stood with the demonized so that the demonizing would stop and with the disposable, so that the day would come when we stop throwing people away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025
Then a few years later everyone is over the panic, the technology is normal and the next thing becomes demonized.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2025
His newfound flamboyance is part and parcel of a charm offensive after years of being the dorkiest face of Silicon Valley, if not its most demonized figurehead.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2024
Two of the most potent social campaigns of the past half-century were the civil rights movement and the feminist movement, which demonized discrimination against blacks and women, respectively.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
