destigmatize

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg-der. Proto-Hellenic *stiďďō Ancient Greek στῐ́ζω (stĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă) Ancient Greek στίγμα (stígma) Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ίζω (-ízō) Ancient Greek στιγματίζω (stigmatízō)bor. Medieval Latin stigmatizōbor. English stigmatize English destigmatize From de- + stigmatize.

1. To remove the disgraceful or ignominious characterization; to remove stigma or stigmata.

   “Judy Rappaport's "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing," about obsessive-compulsive disorder, brought this disorder out of the closet to the point where we've destigmatized it.”

   “Like any other literary form, pathography can be good or bad, Dr. Kramer said. When it is good, "it destigmatizes an illness. It's refreshing. It can show that depression or attention deficit disorder doesn't disqualify anyone from the full range of social behavior."”