The study was conducted with the purpose of identifying how nursing professionals understand the expression 'humanized care'. This is a qualitative research, accomplished according to the historic oral thematic method. Seven nurses of a major São Paulo hospital were chosen to partake on this study. According to the analysis and understanding of the meanings expressed on the different speeches it was possible to identify that the expression 'humanized care' has been used with the intension of expressing dehumanization, associated both with nursing professionals dehumanization, from the patient's perspective, and with dehumanization associated with the institution from the nursing professionals point of view. It was identified that this term has been used without the full understanding of its meaning.