reification
Americannoun
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the act of treating something abstract, such as an idea, relation, system, quality, etc., as if it were a concrete object.
Defining “home” as if it were just a roof over one’s head, instead of the center of a web of relationships, leads in turn to the reification of homelessness.
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the act of treating a person as a thing; objectification.
The conference dealt with the issue of prostitution and the reification and trafficking of women.
Etymology
Origin of reification
First recorded in 1845–50; equivalent Latin rē(s) “thing” + -i- ( def. ) + -fication ( def. ), perhaps formed by analogy with deification ( def. )
Explanation
Reification is when you think of or treat something abstract as a physical thing. Reification is a complex idea for when you treat something immaterial — like happiness, fear, or evil — as a material thing. This can be a way of making something concrete and easier to understand, like how a wedding ring is the reification of a couple's love. However, reification is often considered a sign that someone is thinking illogically. For example, if you think of justice as something physical, you're confusing ideas and things, which can lead to problems.
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.
How do Kelly's role and Anglin's commentary help give us a more nuanced understanding of what's going on with Trump's use of reification?
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2020
The third strategy of division you discuss is reification — in this case, meaning treating people like objects.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2020
The evolution of this idea finds its reification in his 22nd-century London, where nanotechnology makes all matter malleable.
From Slate • Dec. 15, 2014
“I always thought souls were a mistaken reification of patterns of brain activity. You mean I really do have a soul?”
From Nature • Mar. 19, 2014
This happened simultaneously with the reification of many other forms of human praxis: religion, the judiciary, the military.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai
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.
