animalize
/'æniməlaiz/ Cách viết khác : (animalise) /'æniməlaiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman: To cause someone or something to lose human qualities of compassion, sensitivity, or refinement, becoming more like a beast.
- To represent in the form of an animal: To depict or portray something using animal characteristics or imagery.
Usage and Examples
- Verb (transitive):
- The harsh conditions of war can animalize even the most civilized people. (This shows the process of becoming brutal and insensitive.)
- Some ancient myths animalize natural forces, portraying the wind as a wolf. (This shows representing something as an animal.)
- The propaganda sought to animalize the enemy, stripping them of their humanity. (This illustrates making someone seem inhuman.)
Advanced Usage and Notes
- The term often carries a strong negative connotation, implying a degradation from a higher (human) state to a lower (animal) state in terms of behavior or morality.
- It can be used in sociological, psychological, or artistic contexts.
- The process of animalization (noun) is the state or result of being animalized.
Variants and Related Words
- Animalise: British English spelling variant.
- Animalization (noun): The act or process of animalizing.
- Brutalize: A close synonym, especially for the meaning of making someone brutal.
- Dehumanize: A related concept focusing specifically on the removal of human qualities.
Synonyms
- Brutalize: To make brutal.
- Dehumanize: To deprive of human qualities.
- Bestialize: To make like a beast.
Antonyms
- Humanize: To make humane or refined.
- Civilize: To bring to a more advanced or humane stage of social development.
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