stigmatize

American  

[stig-muh-tahyz] / ˈstɪg məˌtaɪz /

especially British, stigmatise

verb (used with object)

stigmatized, stigmatizing

1. to set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon.

   The crime of the father stigmatized the whole family.

2. to mark with a stigma or brand.

3. to produce stigmata, marks, spots, or the like, on.

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stigmatize British  

/ ˈstɪɡməˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to mark out or describe (as something bad)

2. to mark with a stigma or stigmata

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Other Word Forms

• destigmatize verb (used with object)
• stigmatization noun
• stigmatizer noun
• unstigmatized adjective

Etymology

Origin of stigmatize

1575–85; < Medieval Latin stigmatizāre, equivalent to stigmat- ( stigmatic ) + -izāre -ize

Example Sentences

Critics of involuntary civil-commitment programs argue they violate civil liberties and stigmatize mental illness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

“I can accept myself and the world can still stigmatize me,” McMillan Cottom said.

From Salon • May 10, 2024

Virologists have also come to acknowledge that names can stigmatize people or places.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 3, 2024

We cannot stigmatize or discourage individuals who are seeking care in the emergency department, the only place that is always open and will never turn them away.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 6, 2024

Pope appears to stigmatize him as a Trimmer, ‘Courtiers and patrols in two ranks divide; Through both he passed, and bowed from side to side.’

From East Anglia Personal Recollections and Historical Associations by Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)