animalise
/'æniməlaiz/ Cách viết khác : (animalise) /'æniməlaiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman: To cause someone or something to lose human qualities of compassion, sensitivity, or refinement, becoming more like a base animal.
- To represent in the form of an animal: To depict or describe something using animal characteristics or imagery.
Usage and Examples
- Verb (to make brutal/unfeeling):
- The harsh conditions of war can animalise even the most gentle souls.
- He feared that the constant violence in the prison would animalise the inmates.
- Verb (to represent as an animal):
- The ancient myth animalises the forces of nature as powerful beasts.
- Some fables animalise human traits to teach moral lessons.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- The process of animalising often implies a degradation or reduction to a lower, more instinct-driven state.
- In art and literature, to animalise is a technique of anthropomorphism in reverse, attributing animal forms to non-animal subjects.
- The state of being animalised is often associated with a loss of rationality and civility.
Variants and Related Words
- Animalisation (noun): The process or result of making something brutal or representing it as an animal.
- The animalisation of the enemy in propaganda made violence seem acceptable.
- Animalize (verb): The preferred spelling in American English for 'animalise'.
- Brutalise (verb): A close synonym, specifically emphasizing the aspect of making someone cruel or violent.
Synonyms
- Brutalize: To make someone brutal or cruel.
- Dehumanize: To deprive of positive human qualities.
- Bestialize: To make like a beast; to degrade.
Antonyms
- Humanize: To make more human or civilized.
- Civilize: To bring to a more advanced or humane stage of social development.
Related Phrases and Concepts
- To reduce to an animal state: This phrase captures the core meaning of causing someone to act on base instincts.
- Animalistic representation: Describing the act of depicting something with animal features, relating to the second meaning.
Verb
- become brutal or insensitive and unfeeling
- make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman
- Life in the camps had brutalized him
- represent in the form of an animal