Entmenschliche

Entmenschliche is a term used in German-language discourse to denote the act, process, or effect of stripping individuals or groups of human qualities in speech, writing, or policy. It is often employed as a descriptive label in analyses of dehumanization, propaganda, and digital discourse, where opponents, minorities, or vulnerable populations are portrayed as less than human.

The term is built from ent- (prefix meaning removal or reversal) and Mensch (human), with the adjective-ending -liche. In practical use it may appear as an adjective or as part of a verbal construction such as entmenschlichen, while Entmenschlichung is the common noun for the broader process of dehumanization.

Common usages include entmenschliche Sprache (dehumanizing language) and entmenschliche Darstellungen (dehumanizing representations) of migrants, political opponents, or prisoners. In scholarship, it is discussed alongside dehumanisierung and other mechanisms of influence that aim to delegitimize or demoralize groups.

Historically, dehumanization is a long-standing concept in philosophy and political theory, with intensified attention in the age of mass media and online platforms. As a neologism, entmenschliche does not have a single standardized definition and its exact meaning can vary between authors and contexts.

See also: Dehumanisierung, Entmenschlichung, Objektivierung, Propaganda.