dehumanize

IPA/ˌdiːˈhjuːmənaɪz/
KK[dɪhjˈumənaɪz]IPA/ˌdiːˈhjuːmənaɪz/

dehumanize — 動詞

  • dehumanizepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • dehumanizeshe / she / it
  • dehumanizedpast simple
  • dehumanizing-ing form

1. to treat people as if they lack feelings, dignity, or a mind of their own; to ta

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

去人性化

視人為無情感、無尊嚴之物

to treat people as if they lack feelings, dignity, or a mind of their own; to talk about people in ways that reduce them to the level of animals or objects

例句

The prison guards dehumanized the new inmates by calling them numbers instead of their names.

獄警用編號代替姓名稱呼新囚犯，徹底去人性化了他們。

dehumanize + [person] + by + -ing

The leader dehumanized immigrants in his speech, describing them as a disease spreading through the country.

那位領袖在演講中去人性化地描述移民，將他們比作蔓延全國的疾病。

同義詞
  • demonize

    narrower — to portray someone specifically as evil or monstrous

  • objectify

    narrower — to treat a person as a thing, often reducing them to their body or usefulness

  • degrade

    broader — to lower someone's status or worth in any way, not necessarily by denying their humanity

反義詞
  • humanize

    to give human qualities back; to treat with kindness and respect

文法句型

dehumanize + [person/group]

dehumanize + [person] + by + -ing

passive: be dehumanized

用法筆記

Frequently passive: 'be dehumanized by'. Object is always a person or group of people. Often used in contexts of war, prison, discrimination, or political rhetoric.

常見錯誤

❌The boss humiliated Maria by shouting at her in the meeting.' (This is public embarrassment, not dehumanization.)
✅The boss dehumanized Maria by assigning her a number and forbidding her from speaking to colleagues.
💡dehumanize means stripping away the things that make someone feel human, not just embarrassing them.

2. to take away the human warmth from a process or activity, turning it into someth

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

機械化

使流程失去人性化接觸與溫暖

to take away the human warmth from a process or activity, turning it into something cold and mechanical

例句

The bank dehumanized its customer service by replacing the help desk with a chatbot.

銀行用聊天機器人取代服務櫃檯，機械化了客服流程。

dehumanize + [service] + by + replacing

Eli complained that the new software dehumanized his work, turning creative tasks into a series of clicks.

Eli抱怨新軟體機械化了他的工作，把創意任務變成了一連串的點擊。

同義詞
  • mechanize

    very close — to make mechanical, though mechanize can be neutral while dehumanize always carries a negative judgment

  • automate

    narrower — specifically to replace human work with machines or software

  • impersonalize

    rare synonym — to remove personal elements or warmth

反義詞
  • humanize

    to add a human touch or warmth back into a process

  • personalize

    to tailor something to individual people's needs or tastes

文法句型

dehumanize + [process/activity]

dehumanize + [process] + by + replacing/removing

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (DENY HUMANITY): this sense applies to systems, processes, and activities, not to people. Subject can be a person, institution, or technology.

常見錯誤

❌The company dehumanized John by giving him boring work.' (This is sense 1 — treating a person as less than human.)
✅The company dehumanized the hiring process by using only automated tests with no interviews.
💡sense 2 applies to processes and systems, not to people.