Spanish word

cosificar

Pronunciation

IPA/kosifiˈkaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbobjectify

Example

No debes cosificar a las personas por su apariencia.

You should not objectify people because of their appearance.

Illustration for cosificar (objectify)

More examples

Muchos anuncios publicitarios tienden a cosificar sexualmente a las modelos.

Many advertisements tend to sexually objectify models.

Core concept

A person treated as an object.

Common phrases

  • cosificar sexualmente a alguien

    sexually objectify someone

  • cosificar por su apariencia

    objectify someone based on their appearance

Similar words

objetivar: Frames a person as an object of assessment or gaze, ignoring their subjective experience.
reducir: Reduces a complex person to a single trait, role, or appearance.
despersonalizar: Strips away personal identity and unique traits, making someone anonymous.
instrumentalizar: Uses a person as a means to an end, valuing them only for their utility.

Definition in Spanish

Reducir a una persona a una cosa, sin reconocer su subjetividad.

Word origin

It comes from Spanish cosa 'thing' plus the verb-forming suffix -ificar (from Latin -ificare 'to make'), literally 'to make into a thing' and thus meaning to treat someone as an object.

Usage tips

  • Common in media and gender critiques, it is normally transitive with the personal a as in 'cosificar a alguien' and often appears in passive forms like 'ser cosificado' and carries a critical tone.

Opposites

Related words

  • cosificaciónobjectificationnoun
  • cosificableobjectifiableadjective

Word lists with this word