What does "destigmatize" mean?

To remove the disgraceful or ignominious characterization; to remove stigma or stigmata.

What is a synonym for "destigmatize"?

Common synonyms include: absolve, account for, acquit, amnesty, clear, cry sour grapes.

How do you pronounce "destigmatize"?

Pronounced //diːˈstɪɡmətaɪz//.

Destigmatize

//diːˈstɪɡmətaɪz// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1
To remove the disgraceful or ignominious characterization; to remove stigma or stigmata. transitive
"Judy Rappaport's "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing," about obsessive-compulsive disorder, brought this disorder out of the closet to the point where we've destigmatized it."

Synonyms

All synonyms

absolve account for acquit amnesty clear cry sour grapes

Antonyms

All antonyms

stigmatize

Example

More examples

"Judy Rappaport's "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing," about obsessive-compulsive disorder, brought this disorder out of the closet to the point where we've destigmatized it."

Etymology

From de- + stigmatize.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.