verb
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to make or become human
-
to make or become humane
Other Word Forms
- humanization noun
- humanizer noun
- nonhumanized adjective
- overhumanize verb
- rehumanization noun
- rehumanize verb
- semihumanized adjective
- superhumanize verb (used with object)
- unhumanize verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of humanize
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.
He also knows how to be comfortable in that space, and still find ways to humanize himself to an audience trying desperately to demonize him.
From Slate • Feb. 28, 2026
The event is part of what NFL marketing bosses describe as the organization's "helmets off" strategy, intended to humanize players and increase engagement, particularly among younger fans, by emphasizing their personalities and off-field interests.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
The call-in, which lasted four hours and a half hours, has also been used to humanize a leader better known in the West for his gruff outbursts and cold demeanor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
“You can humanize your dog or your cat, but I think even that’s a stretch,” says Steve Searles, a wildlife expert and author who Animal Planet once dubbed “The Bear Whisperer.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2025
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
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.
