What does dehumanised mean?
Dehumanised is the British past-participle and adjectival form of dehumanise, describing the removal of qualities associated with being human. A dehumanised portrayal treats people as objects, stereotypes, or expendable instruments, while dehumanised working conditions deny workers dignity and recognition. The word may also describe images, language, or systems that suppress individuality and make people appear mechanical, anonymous, or interchangeable. In ordinary use, it carries a strongly critical and serious connotation: to call a practice dehumanising is to condemn its cruelty, moral distance, or failure to recognise common humanity. It overlaps with ideas of objectification and brutalisation but is more specifically concerned with the erasure of human qualities and dignity. The related noun dehumanisation names this process. The term is especially useful when discussing labour, political propaganda, media representation, and technologies that treat people merely as data, resources, or targets.
Deprived of human dignity, individuality, or emotional qualities; treated as less than human.
"The editorial condemned the dehumanised portrayal of refugees in the advertisement."
The adjective normally has a critical connotation and is especially common in formal and ethical contexts.
Past tense and past participle of dehumanise: to strip a person, group, image, or system of human qualities or dignity.
"The rhetoric dehumanised its opponents by portraying them as a threat rather than as individuals."
In this function, the word describes an action that has already occurred and is often used in political, social, or ethical commentary.
To dehumanise someone is to look past the person and see only a function, a cost, or a threat.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does dehumanised come from?
Dehumanise was formed in English in the early 19th century by adding the prefix de- to humanize, with dehumanised serving as the resulting past participle and adjective. Humanize is derived from human, which ultimately comes from Latin humanus, meaning “human” or “humane”. Related English words include humanity and humane. British usage generally uses the -ise ending, while the US form is normally spelled dehumanized.
Related word forms
How dehumanised is actually used
The word has a strongly critical, formal connotation and is commonly used in discussions of ethics, labour, propaganda, media representation, and dehumanising technologies. British usage generally prefers the spelling dehumanised, while US usage generally prefers dehumanized.
Easily confused with dehumanised
Dehumanized is the usual US spelling of the same word; dehumanised is the standard British spelling.
Dehumanised describes the removal of human qualities or dignity, whereas inhumane primarily describes cruel or uncompassionate conduct.