animalizar

A literary/philosophical verb meaning to animalize — to strip someone of their humanity or reduce their behavior to purely instinctive, animal-like terms (la guerra animaliza a las personas). Rare outside essays, criticism, or elevated political rhetoric.

• El régimen buscaba animalizar al pueblo para justificar la represión. — The regime sought to dehumanize the people to justify the repression.
• La propaganda animalizaba al enemigo en los carteles de guerra. — The propaganda depicted the enemy as animal-like in the war posters.
• El hambre extrema puede animalizar hasta al más civilizado. — Extreme hunger can reduce even the most civilized person to animal instinct.

Using animalizar for a literal fantasy 'turn into an animal' sense — it's almost always figurative, about stripping away humanity, especially in political or wartime rhetoric.

Often confused with deshumanizar.