What does objectified mean?
Objectified is the past tense and past participle of objectify and, as an adjective, describes a person, body, image, or group that is treated as an object rather than as someone with independent agency or dignity. The word is especially common in discussions of gender, sexuality, race, labour, and popular culture, where it identifies the process of turning human beings or human qualities into resources, commodities, or visual objects. It has a strongly critical connotation: saying that someone is objectified usually suggests an imbalance of power and a loss of humanity. Objectified can also be used more literally or philosophically for something made into or regarded as an object. The verb objectify describes the act, while objectified focuses on its result. Together, these forms give writers a precise way to distinguish the action of reducing someone to an object from the condition or representation experienced by the person treated that way.
Treated as an object or thing, especially in a way that denies a person individuality, agency, or humanity.
"The campaign was condemned for its objectified portrayal of women."
This is the dominant modern use and is usually critical in tone.
Rendered into an object or treated as an object rather than as a person.
"The advertisement objectified the models by presenting them solely as decorative bodies."
The verb form normally appears in the past tense or past participle.
To call someone objectified is to name not only what was done to them, but what they were made to become.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does objectified come from?
Objectified is formed by adding the inflection -ed to the verb objectify. Objectify entered English in the early 19th century from object and the suffix -ify. English object comes through Old French from the Latin obiectum, meaning a thing thrown against, ultimately from ob- (“against” or “toward”) and jacere (“to throw”).
Related word forms
How objectified is actually used
The word is especially common in discussions of gender, sexuality, race, labour, and popular culture. It generally carries a critical connotation and suggests an imbalance of power, although it can also be used more neutrally in philosophical or abstract contexts.
Easily confused with objectified
Objectified describes someone or something that has been treated as an object, whereas objectification names the process or practice of doing so.