Standard Lemma guide

demonization

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: D IY2 M AH0 N AH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of demonizing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something demonized.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

to represent as diabolically evil

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the demonization of our enemies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: demonisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disapprobation, condemnation

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English distinct electron motion English -on English demon Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ization English demonization From demon + -ization.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شَيْطَنَة (šayṭana) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Belarusian: дэманіза́цыя (demanizácyja) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Bulgarian: демониза́ция (demonizácija) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Chinese Mandarin: 妖魔化 (yāomóhuà) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Czech: démonizace — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • French: diabolisation — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • French: démonisation — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Galician: demonización — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • German: Dämonisierung — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • German: Verteufelung — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Greek: δαιμονοποίηση (daimonopoíisi) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Italian: demonizzazione — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Japanese: 悪魔化 (akumaka) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Korean: 악마화 (angmahwa) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Macedonian: демонизација (demonizacija) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Polish: demonizacja — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Portuguese: demonização — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Romanian: demonizare — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Russian: демониза́ция (demonizácija) — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Serbo-Croatian: демониза́ција — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Serbo-Croatian: demonizácija — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Slovak: démonizácia — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Slovene: demonizacija — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Spanish: demonización — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Spanish: satanización — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Swedish: demonisering — the act of demonizing or something demonized
  • Ukrainian: демоніза́ція (demonizácija) — the act of demonizing or something demonized