objectification

American  

[uhb-jek-tuh-fi-key-shuhn] / əbˌdʒɛk tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of treating a person as an object or thing.

   The objectification of women in the media teaches girls that all they have to offer is their body and face, and they should expend all their effort on physical appearance.

2. the act or practice of regarding the natural world, or any part of it, solely as an inanimate object of study or exploitation with no intrinsic relationship to human beings.

   This scientific approach—the objectification of nature, an inability to look beyond its physical aspects—is what Thoreau was rebelling against during his sojourn at Walden Pond.

3. the act or practice of presenting an idea, feeling, or other abstraction as a concrete object that can be seen, touched, etc..

   This approach to the material culture of clothing understands clothes in terms of their objectification of cultural values.

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Other Word Forms

• de-objectification noun
• nonobjectification noun
• self-objectification noun

Etymology

Origin of objectification

objecti(fy) ( def. ) + -fication ( def. )

Explanation

Objectification is when a person is treated as a thing or an idea is represented by a concrete object. An artist might use objectification when she paints a tree that represents "nature" or a bird that stands for "freedom." When you take a vague, abstract concept like "love" and give it a solid form (especially in a work of art or writing), you objectify it — that's objectification. A different kind of objectification happens when people treat others like objects, or as nothing more than their physical bodies: "The objectification of women in music videos — using them as props — is one of the least appealing things about the music industry."

Example Sentences

This adoration necessitated objectification, and from the 1970s onward, Updike’s fiction came in for a good deal of feminist scorn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Grammatically speaking, I’ve contemplated the power of the closeup, both an objectification and a privilege.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2024

Emma Beddington wrote that there is "plenty to horrify" in the series, including the physical toll on the team members' bodies, the "abysmal pay" and "the objectification".

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2024

“We also prohibit content promoting exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization or harm to minors, and obscene behaviors,” X said.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2024

Dante's objectification of morality, his art of giving visible forms and local habitations to ideal virtues and vices, was for him a thoroughly serious and philosophical exercise.

From Three Philosophical Poets Lucretius, Dante, and Goethe by Santayana, George