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to demonize

to demonize

77 7.1
Make a person, group, or thing seem evil and dangerous, often unfairly
  • verb
  • /ˈdiːməˌnaɪz/
  • Literature
translation icon : demonizar
  • And so for generations now, the media has capitalized off of demonizing them.
  • demonize opponents
  • demonize others
  • demonize enemies

I will never ask you to demonize technology.

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Examples

  • But the obesity epidemic really started as the US government, among others, demonized fat.

  • We have seen social scientists demonize young black men as super predators.

  • I will never ask you to demonize technology.

  • Maybe you demonize other family members.

  • And your question is, how much are you willing to demonize another person in order to win your race?

  • We can stop demonizing black and brown girls, Black, black and brown children.

  • We're certainly not trying to demonize black and Hispanic people.

  • I think that these parties are demonizing each other.

  • Please, let's not demonize people we don't really know.

  • It's unfair to demonize someone just because they have a different opinion.

Synonyms

to discredit
vsto demonize
66 6.3

To harm someone's reputation so others stop trusting them

focuses on portraying someone as wicked or threatening rather than only untrustworthy
to vilify
vsto demonize
43 7.9

To say or write bad things about someone to harm them

targets showing someone as evil or threatening rather than just attacking them
to malign
vsto demonize
33 7.7

To say harmful or false things about someone to hurt them

aims to present moral danger or wickedness rather than mere slander
to stigmatize
vsto demonize
  • US
24 7.5

Treat someone as shameful and not worthy of respect

is aimed specifically at depicting someone as evil or threatening rather than social shame
to villainize
vsto demonize
  • US
2 6.9

Show someone as evil or the cause of problems

focuses on showing someone as evil or threatening rather than only blaming them
to anathematize
vsto demonize
  • Formal
1 9.9

To officially say that something is evil and must be rejected

is the general portrayal as evil without religious punishment emphasis
to devilize
vsto demonize
9.9

To show someone as very evil in stories or reports

is broader, showing someone as wicked or threatening without supernatural focus
to diabolize
vsto demonize
  • US
9.9

To make a person or group seem very evil

is the general act of treating someone as evil without spiritual mention
to anathemize
vsto demonize
  • Formal
9.9

To say in public that someone or something is evil and should be avoided

is the informal or general portrayal of someone as wicked rather than a formal curse

Antonyms

to exonerate
  • Formal
129 8.2

To say officially that someone is not guilty of a crime

54 8.6

To show someone or something was right and not to blame

How Negative

to dehumanize
  • Formal
24 7.5
to demonize
  • Literature
77 7.1
to vilify
43 7.9
to criticize
701 3.3
to question
777 3.5

Surface Forms

demonize infinitive
demonized past
demonized past participle
demonizing present participle
demonizes third person singular

Morphology

demonize = demon (transparent) = demon + ize

The verb is formed by the productive suffix '-ize' meaning 'make or treat as', so the meaning 'make into a demon' maps directly to the modern sense 'portray as evil'.

Etymology

Demonize comes from the old word demon, which meant an 'evil spirit', plus the ending -ize that makes it a verb. So to demonize someone is to make them seem like an evil or dangerous person, often unfairly.