What does sodomize mean?
To sodomize someone is to subject that person to non-consensual acts of anal intercourse; in modern usage, the word carries an unequivocal association with rape and sexual violence. It is used especially in legal proceedings, news reports, historical accounts, and survivor testimony, where it identifies the specific nature of an attack without minimizing it. Although the word may also have an archaic figurative sense meaning to corrupt or degrade something, that use is uncommon today and should not be confused with its dominant violent meaning. The verb is related to the noun sodomy and to Sodom, the biblical city whose inhabitants became associated in Western tradition with sexual immorality. Because sodomize is explicit and emotionally charged, writers generally use it only when the precise sexual character of an act is relevant. It should not replace more clinical or general terms such as anal intercourse when describing consensual conduct.
verbEngage in acts of anal intercourse with someone without their consent; now especially, subject someone to sexual violence in this way.
- Engage in acts of anal intercourse with someone without their consent; rape or sexually assault someone in this way.
- Figuratively, corrupt, degrade, or spoil something.
"The witness said that the attacker had tried to sodomize him."
"The witness testified that the defendant had tried to sodomize him."
"The prosecutor explained that attempting to sodomize another person constitutes a serious sexual offence."
The word carries the shadow of Sodom, the biblical city whose sexual associations became shorthand for vice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sodomize come from?
The verb derives from Sodom, the biblical city whose inhabitants were associated with sexual immorality, and formed with the suffix -ize. Its sense and strongly negative modern usage developed through the related English terms sodomy and sodomite. Sodom itself is a place name transmitted through biblical and classical sources, and its sexual associations supplied the moral basis for the word.
Related word forms
How sodomize is actually used
The verb is strongly marked and normally denotes a non-consensual sexual act. It occurs chiefly in legal, journalistic, historical, and testimonial contexts and is not used as a neutral euphemism for consensual anal intercourse.
Easily confused with sodomize
Sodomy names the broader category of sexual conduct historically associated with Sodom, whereas sodomize is a verb describing the act of committing such conduct, especially a non-consensual act.