What does animalise mean?
Animalise means to portray or treat a person or group as an animal, especially by stripping away their humanity and dignity. The verb is especially associated with propaganda, political hostility, literature, and criticism, where it describes the reduction of people to beasts, enemies, or objects of predatory instinct. For example, writers may accuse a campaign of animalising refugees or say that a novel animalises its antagonist. Its force comes from the word “animal”: using it for a human group suggests a deliberate denial of rational thought, moral feeling, and human status. Animalise is more than a general synonym for insult; it identifies a process or portrayal through which human beings are represented as animal-like. The term is correspondingly more common in serious or strongly evaluative contexts than in casual conversation, and it often implies dehumanization rather than merely describing coarse behaviour.
verbTo treat a person or group as an animal, especially by denying their humanity. It can also mean to portray or make someone as behaving in an animal-like way.
- To treat a person or group as an animal, especially by depicting them as brutish, subhuman, or deprived of human dignity.
- To portray or make someone as behaving like an animal.
"The propaganda campaign sought to animalise the minority by portraying its members as subhuman."
"The propagandists attempted to animalise their enemies by erasing every trace of their humanity."
"The novel animalises its antagonist, reducing the character to predatory instinct."
Calling someone an “animal” is an insult; animalise turns that insult into a description of how a person or group is being treated.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does animalise come from?
Animalise was formed in English from animal and the verb-forming suffix -ise. Animal itself came through French from Latin animalis, meaning “of or pertaining to animals” and ultimately related to Latin anima, “breath,” “life,” or “soul.” English cognates from the same Latin foundation include animate and animation.
Related word forms
How animalise is actually used
Chiefly British in spelling; US English normally writes animalize. It is more common in literary, political, and critical writing than in neutral everyday speech and usually carries a strongly derogatory or dehumanizing implication.
Easily confused with animalise
Animate means to give life or vitality, whereas animalise means to portray or treat someone as animal-like, typically by denying their humanity.