verb
- to regard or represent something as having a fixed, unchanging essence or nature
Usage: academic; often used critically in social theory
Examples
- The critic argued that the film essentializes gender roles.
- We must avoid essentializing cultural differences.
- The theory essentializes human behavior as purely biological.
- She essentializes the conflict as simply good versus evil.
- The textbook essentializes complex historical events.
- Researchers warn against essentializing ethnic identities.