verb
- to regard or represent something as having a fixed, unchanging essence or nature, often oversimplifying complex characteristics
Usage: academic; often used critically
Examples
- Critics argue that the study essentializes gender differences.
- We must avoid essentializing cultural practices as unchanging traditions.
- The documentary was criticized for essentializing the immigrant experience.
- Scholars warn against essentializing identity categories.
- The theory tends to essentialize human behavior as purely biological.
- Teachers should not essentialize students based on their backgrounds.