Definition

1. Verb:
   • To portray as evil or demonic: To describe or represent someone or something as being completely evil, dangerous, or threatening, often unfairly or in an exaggerated way.
   • To transform into or as if into a demon: In a more literal or figurative sense, to cause to become like a demon.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • Politicians often demonize their opponents to win votes. (They portray their opponents as terrible people.)
  • The media should avoid demonizing entire groups of people based on the actions of a few. (The media should not represent whole groups as evil.)
  • In the story, the curse demonized the kind king, turning him into a monster. (The curse transformed the king into a creature like a demon.)

Advanced Usage

• "to demonize someone/something as...": To specifically label or characterize them as a particular type of evil.
  • The regime demonized the protesters as traitors and terrorists.
• Concept of Demonization: The noun form "demonization" refers to the process or result of making something seem evil.
  • The demonization of immigrants is a harmful political tactic.

Variants and Related Words

• Demonise (verb): British English spelling of "demonize".
• Demonization (noun): The act of demonizing or the state of being demonized.
• Demon (noun): An evil spirit or fiend; a source of evil or cruelty.

Synonyms

• Vilify: To speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner.
• Malign: To speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner.
• Diabolize: A less common synonym meaning to represent as diabolical.

Antonyms

• Idealize: To regard or represent as perfect or better than in reality.
• Glorify: To describe or represent as admirable, especially unjustifiably.
• Humanize: To make (someone) seem more human or easier to relate to.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Rhetorical demonization: The use of language in speeches or writing to paint an opponent as purely evil, often to provoke fear or anger.
• Othering and demonization: A social process where a group is portrayed as fundamentally different and threatening, facilitating their unfair treatment.

Verb

1. make into a demon
   • Power had demonized him