Dictionary

victimize en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈvɪktɪmaɪz/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyk-der. Latin victima Middle French victimebor. English victim Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English victimize From victim + -ize.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make (someone) a victim or sacrifice.
2. (transitive) To punish unjustly.
   • Yet, even as Democratic party leadership has decried this mass deportation plan and even as the bill maligns Democrats as victimizing Americans through its policy of “open borders,” 48 Democratic members of Congress voted for this GOP-backed bill. 2025 January 19, Heba Gowayed, “The Laken Riley Act exposes Democrats’ hypocrisy on immigration”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
3. (transitive) To swindle or defraud.

Forms

Deriveds

self-victimize · victimizable · victimizer · nonvictimizingn · revictimize · devictimize · victimization · cybervictimize

Translations (36)

pl zdefraudować (to defraud) · ka მსხვერპლად შეწირვა (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · fr victimiser (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · bg жертвам (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · mi hawene (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pl oszukiwać (to defraud) · pl oszukać (to defraud) · ka მსხვერპლად ქცევა (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pt vitimar (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pl wyłudzić (to defraud) · sh viktimizirati (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · es victimizar (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pt vitimizar (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · gl vitimizar (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pl poświęcić w ofierze (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · la victimō (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · de zum Opfer machen (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · de ungerechterweise bestrafen (to punish someone unjustly) · pl sprzeniewierzać (to defraud) · pl defraudować (to defraud) · fr victimer (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · la victimizō (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · ca victimitzar (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pl prześladować (to punish someone unjustly) · pl poświęcać w ofierze (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pl szwindlować (to defraud) · de ungerecht behandeln (to punish someone unjustly) · de opfern (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · pl sprzeniewierzyć (to defraud) · pl represjonować (to punish someone unjustly) · pl wyłudzać (to defraud) · pt injustiçar (to punish someone unjustly) · de viktimisieren (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · it vittimizzare (to make someone a victim or sacrifice) · de schikanieren (to punish someone unjustly) · bg измъчвам (to punish someone unjustly)