Demonisoidaan

Demonisoidaan is a Finnish verb form meaning “is demonized” or “is being demonized” when used in the passive voice. It denotes the act of portraying something as demonic or morally evil, often to delegitimize a person, policy, or idea. In usage, the subject of the sentence is the thing being demonized, while the agent is typically unspecified, focusing attention on the target rather than the actor.

Etymology: The verb demonisoida is built from the noun demon plus the Finnish -isoida suffix, which forms verbs meaning to make or treat as something. It is a loanword from English demonize and has become established in modern Finnish. The present passive form demonisoidaan is used to describe an ongoing demonization process.

Usage and connotation: Demonisoidaan is commonly employed in media analysis, political discourse, and studies of rhetoric to describe strategies that cast opponents, policies, or groups as morally corrupt or evil. The term generally carries a negative evaluative load, signaling critique of the demonization pattern rather than neutral description. It can be used descriptively (“X is demonized”) or critically (“actors demonize Y to discredit it”). The construction emphasizes the rhetorical act and its effects on public perception, rather than endorsing the demonization.

See also: demonization, rhetoric, othering, vilification, moral panic.