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humanize

/ˈ(h)juməˌnaɪz/
/ˈhjumənaɪz/
IPA guide

Other forms: humanizing; humanized; humanizes

To humanize is to make something friendlier to humans. Humanizing makes things more civilized, refined, and understandable. You need to humanize characters when you’re writing a story, so people will understand them.

To humanize is to make things more humane and easier for humans to relate to and appreciate. A biography of a murderer could humanize the murderer if it showed he had a terrible life growing up. A factory could be humanized if conditions are made less dangerous. In general, if you’re a human, to humanize something is a good thing. If you’re a robot, get your own word!

Definitions of humanize
  1. verb
    make more humane
    “The mayor tried to humanize life in the big city”
    synonyms: humanise
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    dehumanize
    deprive of human qualities
    type of:
    alter, change, modify
    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
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