stigmatize

S1T1I1G2M3A1T1I1Z10E1
Canada, UK, US/ˈstɪɡmətaɪz/Australia/ˈstɪɡmətɑez/

verb

To characterize as disgraceful or ignominious; to mark with a stigma or stigmata.

Opposite
UncommonScrabble 22

Meanings

verbstigmatize (third-person singular simple present stigmatizes, present participle stigmatizing, simple past and past participle stigmatized)

present singular third person stigmatizes · participle present stigmatizing · participle past stigmatized · past stigmatized · alternative UK stigmatise

  1. transitiveTo characterize as disgraceful or ignominious; to mark with a stigma or stigmata.

    This chapter examines the social determinants of depression in black men because no other race-by-gender population group has been stigmatized as much as black men.

    2012, Daphne C. Watkins, Harold W. Neighbors, “Social Determinants of Depression and the Black Male Experience”, in Henrie M. Treadwell, Clare Xanthos, Kisha B. Holden, editors, Social Determinants of Health Among African-American Men, Jossey-Bass, published 2013, →ISBN, page 55
    2 more examples

    We stigmatize the Indians, also, as cowardly and treacherous, because they use stratagem in warfare in preference to open force; but in this they are fully justified by their rude code of honor.

    1819-1820, Washington Irving, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon

    Helen Hardacre, in her study of discourses stigmatizing women who have had abortions, argues that there has been a marked rise in media interest in women's sexuality since the 1970s.

    2010, Mark McClelland, “The 'Beautiful Boy' in Japanese Girls' Manga”, in Toni Johnson-Woods, editor, Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives, The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc, →ISBN, page 78

    Antonyms: destigmatize

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo characterize as disgraceful or ignominious; to mark with a stigma or stigmata.

Opposite

More synonyms by meaning

verbto accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful

Broader

verbmark with a stigma or stigmata

Similar
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)teyg-
  2. Proto-Hellenic*stíd͏̌d͏̌ō
  3. Ancient Greekστῐ́ζω (stĭ́zō)
  4. Ancient Greekστίγμα (stígma)
  5. Ancient Greekστιγματίζω (stigmatízō)
  6. Medieval Latinstigmatizō
  7. Englishstigmatize

Borrowed from Medieval Latin stigmatizō (“to brand”), borrowed from Ancient Greek στιγματίζω (stigmatízō), from στίγμα (stígma) + -ίζω (-ízō).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic وَصَمَ
  • وَصَمَ (waṣama)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Bulgarian заклеймявам, дамгосвам
  • заклеймявам (zaklejmjavam)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
  • дамгосвам (damgosvam)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Catalan estigmatitzar
  • estigmatitzarto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Finnish leimata, stigmatisoida
  • leimatato characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
  • stigmatisoidato characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
French stigmatiser
  • stigmatiserto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
German stigmatisieren, brandmarken
  • stigmatisierento characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
  • brandmarkento characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Greek στιγματίζω
  • στιγματίζω (stigmatízo)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Hungarian megbélyegez, stigmatizál
  • megbélyegezto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
  • stigmatizálto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Italian stigmatizzare
  • stigmatizzareto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Japanese 呼ばわりする, 非難する
  • 呼ばわりする (yobawari suru)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
  • 非難する (hinan suru)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Norwegian Bokmål stigmatisere
  • stigmatisereto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Persian انگ زدن
  • انگ زدنto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Polish stygmatyzować
  • stygmatyzowaćto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Portuguese estigmatizar
  • estigmatizarto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Russian клейми́ть
  • клейми́ть (klejmítʹ)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Spanish estigmatizar, sambenitar
  • estigmatizarto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
  • sambenitarto characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Swedish stigmatisera, brännmärka
  • stigmatiserato characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
  • brännmärkato characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Ukrainian таврува́ти
  • таврува́ти (tavruváty)to characterize as disgraceful or ignominious
Cite this entry
APA

stigmatize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stigmatize

MLA

“stigmatize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stigmatize. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stigmatize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stigmatize.

Source: stigmatize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.