destigmatize

Verb

destigmatize (third-person singular simple present destigmatizes, present participle destigmatizing, simple past and past participle destigmatized)

1. (transitive) 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.1996 June 16, Linda Tagliaferro, “Long Island Q & A: Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz;Helping to Combat Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders”, in The New York Times
   • 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."1999 April 24, Sarah Boxer, “THINK TANK; A Son's Simple Diagnosis of His Father's Complexities”, in The New York Times

   Antonyms:

   stigmatize