demonize

1. (transitive) To turn into a demon.transitive

2. (transitive, figuratively) To describe or represent as evil or diabolic, usually falsely.Examples: "President Trump has seized on the response in the streets to police brutality against Black men and women to bolster his re-election campaign, employing provocative and sometimes incendiary language and images to incite his followers, demonize his opponents or both."; "He calls for a “massive, urgent recruitment effort,” which is a fine idea, but one that’s likely to be futile unless we stop demonizing teachers and start paying them fairly."; "Many people disagree with several things society has normalized, some of which are even demonized. Frustratingly, attaching a stigma to perfectly reasonable things makes people feel attacked when they publicly do them."Synonyms: vilifyfigurativelytransitive