demonize

verb

de·​mon·​ize ˈdē-mə-ˌnīz 

demonized; demonizing; demonizes

transitive verb

: to portray (someone or something) as evil or as worthy of contempt or blame : vilify

But the Senate hearings have a broader purpose than exposing I.R.S. sins. They are a central element in a campaign by Congressional Republicans to demonize the tax agency, already the least loved of all Government bureaucracies.

—John M. Broder

The point is not to demonize business leaders. Their reasons for not hiring make eminent sense, given the incentives of the marketplace and the imperative to remain competitive.

—Zachary Karabell

Violence in the media has become the whipping boy of choice in these hypocritical times. It's easier to demonize a movie screen than to deal with the thorny issues of crime, racism, drugs, poverty and gun control.

—Peter Travers

For those who would forge a new environmental ethic, there is a constant temptation to demonize technology and deify nature.

—Gina Maranto

demonization

ˌdē-mə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

plural demonizations

In the Washington of Clinton and Gingrich, Dole and Buchanan, … the demonization of one's political foes has reached an epic frenzy.

—Stryker McGuire and David Ansen

Examples of demonize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The key to ensuring public support for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is not to demonize the cost of the Blueprint’s goals nor to provide a blank check for its implementation, but to assuage taxpayers’ concerns by mandating accountability with real teeth. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2025

Despite their rarity, such attacks warrant scientific attention — not to provoke fear or demonize these majestic creatures, but to better understand the dynamics between humans and apex avian predators. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025

This vile smear wrongly demonizes advocates like me and trivializes the Holocaust, chilling free expression. —Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025

What People Think Opinion related to health submitted to The Hill: Why is Massachusetts spending taxpayer money to demonize pregnancy help clinics? —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for demonize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize