humanize
Americanverb (used with object)
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humanizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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humanized,
past participle, past
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humanizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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humanizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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humanized,
past participle, past
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humanizing
present participle
verb
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to make or become human
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to make or become humane
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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humanizationnoun
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humanizernoun
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rehumanizationnoun
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overhumanizeverb
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rehumanizeverb
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superhumanizeverb (used with object)
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unhumanizeverb (used with object)
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nonhumanizedadjective
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semihumanizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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humanizesimple
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humanizessimple
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have humanizedperfect
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has humanizedperfect
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am humanizingprogressive
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are humanizingprogressive
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is humanizingprogressive
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have been humanizingperfect progressive
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has been humanizingperfect progressive
Past
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humanizedsimple
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had humanizedperfect
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was humanizingprogressive
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were humanizingprogressive
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had been humanizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of humanize
Explanation
To humanize is to make something friendlier to humans. Humanizing makes things more civilized, refined, and understandable. You need to humanize characters when you’re writing a story, so people will understand them. To humanize is to make things more humane and easier for humans to relate to and appreciate. A biography of a murderer could humanize the murderer if it showed he had a terrible life growing up. A factory could be humanized if conditions are made less dangerous. In general, if you’re a human, to humanize something is a good thing. If you’re a robot, get your own word!
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.
See Examples For:
They came up with the stretchers as yet another way to humanize robots for a wide audience.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
You really humanize the young actors in “Hollywood, Ending” which, unfortunately, is a unique thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
The photos humanize Coltrane while intensifying his myth as someone in holy communion with the transcendent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
And so I said, “Well, let’s humanize these people.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
My speech that night gave me a chance to humanize myself, explaining who I was in my own voice, slaying the caricatures and stereotypes with my own words.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Conservative lawmaker Evair de Melo said Flavio was "gradually introducing himself, including with a great deal of humility, acknowledging some of the mistakes his father may have made. This naturally humanizes his image."
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
The most notable addition to the story is a sequence depicting the Phantom’s humiliating past as part of a freak show—a clever innovation that slightly humanizes this opaque character.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
The bracing period drama “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” humanizes a childhood that sounds easy to hate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2025
It humanizes the dog a little bit or makes them feel closer to their community, but it's a beautiful story to tell.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2025
And it humanizes them—which is ironic, because they’re already human.”
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Both of these famous women have long fought to be humanized while also marketing an obscene amount of stuff to us.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
The nearly autonomous facility allows scientists to grow mammalian cells from genetically humanized mice remotely and monitor stainless-steel bioreactors in real time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
If humanized, the Bowl could serve as antidote to a worrisome AI future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
He is known for developing humanized mouse models that help researchers study human immune and metabolic responses in T1D.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026
That is the miracle of Greek mythology—a humanized world, men freed from the paralyzing fear of an omnipotent Unknown.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
It’s a way of humanizing the host, whether it’s Adam Driver or Kevin Costner.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
He’s done such a good job of humanizing a monster.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
"Your AI text is humanizing," the site claimed, leading to a page where "100% unique text" was locked behind a paywall charging up to $9.99.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
“No One’s Coming” is his humanizing, well-reported account of the largest Ebola outbreak in history, occurring from 2014 to 2016 in three West African nations, killing more than 11,000 people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Tats joins me at a study carrel as I’m reviewing arguments against humanizing Caliban.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
