dehumanize

/diˈhjumɪnaɪz/

/diˈhjumɪnaɪz/

Other forms: dehumanizing; dehumanized; dehumanizes

To dehumanize someone is to make them either feel or appear somehow less than human. Laboring under terrible conditions can dehumanize workers, making them feel more like robots than people.

War can dehumanize people in a few different ways. Violent or seemingly endless fighting might dehumanize soldiers, causing them to stop feeling normal human emotions. War propaganda might dehumanize the enemy, making people more willing to fight against and kill them. At the heart of dehumanize is human, and its Latin root humanus, which means both "human" and "humane, kind, or civilized."

Definitions of dehumanize

1. verb

   deprive of human qualities
   “Life in poverty has dehumanized them”

   synonyms: dehumanise

   antonyms:

   humanize

   make more humane

   type of:

   degrade, demean, disgrace, put down, take down

   reduce in worth or character, usually verbally
2. verb

   make mechanical or routine
   synonyms: dehumanise

   type of:

   mechanise, mechanize

   make mechanical