verb
-
to make or become human
-
to make or become humane
Other Word Forms
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.
Lindstrom’s work aimed to inspire empathy and humanize those suffering in the margins of society, but it also catalyzed policy change.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
“We could make those connections. We could humanize a company into a localized market,” Oliver said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Then comes the pitch: pay to "humanize" the writing, a pattern experts say bears the hallmarks of a scam.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
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
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.
