essentialize

American

[uh-sen-shuh-lahyz] / əˈsɛn ʃəˌlaɪz /

especially British, essentialise

verb (used with object)

essentialized, essentializing

to extract the essence from; express the essence of.

Etymology

Origin of essentialize

First recorded in 1660–70; essential + -ize

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Yet most of the narratives upon which we have settled continue to essentialize race and gender almost to the exclusion of everything else.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2022

Just as “Italian food” or “Italian culture” is too monolithic a descriptor for something so complex and diverse, it is impossible to essentialize a place even as small as Golfo Paradiso.

From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023