1. to make or become animal in nature; to reduce to or treat as an animal
Usage: chiefly British spelling (American: animalize); formal or literary
2. to give animal characteristics or qualities to; to depict or represent in animal form
Usage: chiefly British spelling (American: animalize)

Examples

• The harsh conditions of war seemed to animalise the soldiers, stripping away their humanity.
• Some critics argue that violent media can animalise viewers by desensitizing them to brutality.
• The artist chose to animalise the human figures in her paintings, giving them bestial features.
• Philosophers have long debated whether poverty animalises people or whether it reveals their true character.
• The cartoonist animalised the political figures, depicting them as various creatures to mock their behavior.