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

Though their obsessions with moisturizers and eyebrow grooming seem pretty girlie to someone of my generation, looksmaxxing is rooted in objectification.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

She added: "These AI images don't appear from nowhere – they're built from real disabled people's images, often without consent – and unmoderated comment threads turbocharge objectification and harassment."

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

In the tome of essays, author and educator Patricia Pisters discusses Madonna’s ability to transcend the traditional objectification and victimization that famous women are usually subject to.

From Salon • Aug. 23, 2025

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

From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2024

The schoolmen understand, in fact, by forma substantialis that which I call the grade of the objectification of will in a thing.

From The World As Will And Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Schopenhauer, Arthur