1. to make or become like an animal in behavior or nature; to dehumanize
Usage: formal

Examples

• The harsh conditions of war can animalize even the most civilized people.
• Critics argued that the prison system animalizes inmates rather than rehabilitating them.
• The dictator’s propaganda animalizes his political opponents.
• Extreme poverty sometimes animalizes human behavior.
• The documentary shows how slavery animalizes both the enslaved and the enslaver.