objectify

[ uhb-jek-tuh-fahy ]

verb (used with object)

, ob·jec·ti·fied, ob·jec·ti·fy·ing.

1. to present as an object, especially of sight, touch, or other physical sense; make objective; externalize.
2. to treat (a person) as an object or thing:

   Women are objectified and their physical attributes highlighted in ways that do not apply to men.

objectify

/ əbˈdʒɛktɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. tr to represent concretely; present as an object

Derived Forms

• obˌjectifiˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• ob·jec·ti·fi·ca·tion [uh, b-jek-t, uh, -fi-, key, -sh, uh, n], noun
• o·ver·ob·jec·ti·fi·ca·tion noun
• o·ver·ob·jec·ti·fy verb (used with object) overobjectified overobjectifying
• un·ob·jec·ti·fied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of objectify¹

First recorded in 1830–40; object + -ify

Example Sentences

That word is left untranslated in the subtitles, but the role amounts to being Pessac’s “rose”: The rosière gets paraded around with a lot of pomp and circumstance as her fellow townspeople treat her like a mascot — a woman they can objectify as part of their birthright.

From New York Times

"Men like this need their passes for these events to revoked. Women are not your objects to objectify and command to move as you see fit."

From Salon

According to the team's authors, attempts to standardise and objectify the development and evaluation of chemical reactions are still quite new and relatively uncommon.

From Science Daily

Including the topic in medical education could “counteract an ever-present risk of medical injustices” and “the tendency to objectify patients and research participants,” the commission’s co-chairs told Science.

From Science Magazine

Our report discusses some of the specific risks, such as opportunities to abuse medical power, the tendency to objectify patients and research participants, dilemmas about split loyalties, and temptations to abandon basic values for ideological and opportunistic reasons.

From Science Magazine