HealthAugust 11, 2026
depersonalized
dee-PUR-suh-nuh-lyzd
Definition
To deprive something or someone of human qualities, personality, or individual character.
Etymology
Derived from the prefix 'de-' (off/away) and 'personalize', which comes from the Latin 'persona' (mask or character). It emerged in English in the late 19th century to describe the shift toward mechanical or abstract societal structures.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe how industrial or systemic processes ignore individual human experience. It highlights the tension between biological human needs and the detached nature of large-scale socio-economic systems.
Chinning Liu: From biological to social metabolism
Read the full article ↗Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art