demonizing
Meaning
(present participle) Portraying someone or something as evil, threatening, or worthy of contempt.
Structure
Usage
The politician was accused of demonizing his opponents to win votes.
Certain media outlets have been criticized for demonizing entire communities based on their religion.
She argued that the debate had devolved into demonizing rather than discussing the policy's merits.
Etymology
The word's journey begins with the ancient Greek concept of a daimōn, a divine power or spirit that could be benevolent or malevolent. Through Late Latin and Christian theological discourse, the term demon became specifically associated with malevolent, supernatural evil. The productive Greek-derived suffix -ize, meaning "to make," was attached to this root, creating the verb demonize, which literally means "to make into a demon." The present participle form demonizing thus describes the active process of portraying a person, group, or idea as utterly and inhumanly evil, transferring the ancient concept of a supernatural fiend to a modern rhetorical and psychological tactic.
Analysis
- demon: From Greek daimōn (deity, spirit), via Latin daemon and Late Latin demon. In this word, it functions as the core root meaning an evil spirit or malign force. - ize: A verb-forming suffix from Greek -izein, via Latin -izāre. It means "to render, to make, or to become like". - ing: A suffix from Old English -ende, -unge, used to form the present participle of verbs.