animalization
|an-i-mal-i-za-tion|
/ˌænɪmələˈzeɪʃən/
turning toward animal nature or treating as animal
Etymology
'animalization' originates from English formation on the verb 'animalize' (French 'animaliser'), built from Latin 'animalis' (‘living being’), with the suffix '-ation' denoting ‘process or result’.
'animaliser' in French and English 'animalize' in Early Modern English yielded the noun 'animalization' (also spelled 'animalisation'), which stabilized as modern English 'animalization'.
Initially, it referred to the conversion of substances into animal tissue (physiological sense); over time it extended to the process of making something animal-like and to the figurative sense of dehumanizing people by treating them as animals.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or process of making something animal-like or more animal in nature
The novel depicts the animalization of society under extreme scarcity.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
the portrayal or treatment of people as animals, often as a form of dehumanization
Propaganda often relies on the animalization of targeted groups to justify violence.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 3
in biology, the conversion or assimilation of ingested substances into animal tissue
Early physiologists wrote about the animalization of plant nutrients within the body.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 4
in embryology, a shift of embryonic cells toward animal-pole characteristics
The reagent induced animalization of sea urchin embryos.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/12 01:54