What does "objectify" mean?

To make (something, such as an abstract idea) possible to be perceived by the senses.

What is a synonym for "objectify"?

Common synonyms include: exteriorize, objectivize, reify, thingify, actualize, call to mind.

Pronounced //əbˈd͡ʒɛktɪˌfaɪ//.

//əbˈd͡ʒɛktɪˌfaɪ// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Verb

1
To make (something, such as an abstract idea) possible to be perceived by the senses. intransitive, transitive
"It was the unknown, objectified at last, in concrete flesh and blood, bending over him and reaching down to seize hold of him."
2
make impersonal or present as an object wordnet
3
To treat (something) as objectively real. transitive
"The mystic objectifies a rich feeling in the pit of the stomach into a cosmology."
4
make external or objective, or give reality to wordnet
5
To treat (someone) as a mere (often sexual) object, denying their dignity and tending toward dehumanizing them. transitive
"Near-synonym: demean"

"It was the unknown, objectified at last, in concrete flesh and blood, bending over him and reaching down to seize hold of him."

From object + -ify.

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