victimize

[vik-tuh-mahyz]

See more synonyms for victimize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), vic·tim·ized, vic·tim·iz·ing.

to make a victim of.
to dupe, swindle, or cheat: to victimize poor widows.
to slay as or like a sacrificial victim.

Also especially British, vic·tim·ise.

Origin of victimize

First recorded in 1820–30; victim + -ize

Related formsvic·tim·i·za·tion, nounvic·tim·iz·er, nounun·vic·tim·ized, adjective

Synonyms for victimize

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2. defraud, fool, hoodwink, beguile.

Synonym study

2. See cheat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for victimized

sting, dupe, exploit, persecute, deceive, hoax, fleece, hoodwink, clip, screw, gull, burn, chisel, use, snow, trick, bamboozle, immolate, swindle, cozen

Examples from the Web for victimized

Contemporary Examples of victimized

About half of their industry is based on a business model that involves the consumer being hurt or victimized.
Murdered for Her iPhone
Michael Daly
May 8, 2014
The people here claim they have been victimized by a hostile media and a gangster neo-Nazi government in Kiev.
Pro-Russian Protestors in Ukraine Dream of Soviet Glory Days
David Patrikarakos
April 8, 2014
“I could not see myself living next door to people who have victimized me and family,” she says.
Two Decades After Genocide, Rwanda’s Women Have Made the Nation Thrive
Nina Strochlic
April 2, 2014
They said, ‘stop allowing yourself to be demonized and victimized.’
Pressuring Journalists Won’t Protect Transgender People
James Kirchick
January 22, 2014
The feeling of being burned after hoping for peace and the feeling of being hunted down, victimized and targeted is real.
What Beinart Overlooks in His 'American Jewish Cocoon' Article
Gil Troy
September 4, 2013

Historical Examples of victimized

And when she victimized herself, she did it so that no one could see she was a victim.
Debts of Honor
Maurus Jkai
Realizing that he had been victimized by Mr. Gloom, he tried to open the door.
The Bradys Beyond Their Depth
Anonymous
It was plain to their minds that they had been victimized by the clever machinations of this man.
The Loyalist
James Francis Barrett
For all that, Dick determined that his comrade should not be victimized.
Brandon of the Engineers
Harold Bindloss
It was her vocation to be victimized, and her daily business to be a blessing to others.
Walt Whitman in Mickle Street
Elizabeth Leavitt Keller

British Dictionary definitions for victimized

victimize

victimise

verb (tr)

to punish or discriminate against selectively or unfairly
to make a victim of
to kill as or in a manner resembling a sacrificial victim

Derived Formsvictimization or victimisation, nounvictimizer or victimiser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for victimized

victimize

1830, from victim + -ize. Related: Victimized; victimizing.