dehumanization

[ dee-hyoo-muh-nahy-zey-shuhnor, often, -yoo- ]

noun

1. the act of regarding, representing, or treating a person or group as less than human:

   Dehumanization of the enemy is often what sustains the rationale for a war.

   Before trafficked humans are fully enslaved, they are drugged, tortured, and abused as part of the process of dehumanization.

2. the process of depriving a person or population of human qualities or attributes such as compassion, dignity, individuality, etc.:

   When science is not touched by a sense of moral values, it works—as it has done fairly consistently over the past century—toward a complete dehumanization of the social order.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dehumanization¹

dehumaniz(e) ( def ) + -ation ( def )

Example Sentences

Voters picked a leader who embraced authoritarianism, division and dehumanization.

From Los Angeles Times

“I believe that dehumanization has contributed to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous People crisis that affects all of our people but that strikes women and girls in disproportionate numbers,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of the educational matters missing still include how to understand lies, insults and dehumanization, why that is done, how it affects the brain and what to do about it.

From Salon

"The enemies were different, but the logic of enemy and the logic of demonization and dehumanization certainly is similar to previous fascist attempts."

From Salon

If any comparison is to be made with Germany, it seems to me it’s the fundamental dehumanization of his targets.

From Salon