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View synonyms for

personification

[per-son-uh-fi-key-shuhn]

noun

  1. the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.

  2. the representation of a thing or abstraction in the form of a person, as in art.

  3. the person or thing embodying a quality or the like; an embodiment or incarnation.

    He is the personification of tact.

  4. an imaginary person or creature conceived or figured to represent a thing or abstraction.

  5. the act of personifying; the attributing of human qualities to an animal, object, or abstraction.

    The author's personification of the farm animals made for an enchanting children's book.

  6. a character portrayal or representation in a dramatic or literary work.



personification

/ ɜːˌɒɪɪˈɪʃə /

noun

  1. the attribution of human characteristics to things, abstract ideas, etc, as for literary or artistic effect

  2. the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc, as in art and literature

  3. a person or thing that personifies

  4. a person or thing regarded as an embodiment of a quality

    he is the personification of optimism

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • personificator noun
  • nonpersonification noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of personification1

First recorded in 1745–55; personi(fy) + -fication
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Harris, he suggested, is the personification of that disconnect from Democratic tradition.

From

Palin was the personification of the Republican ideal, and for quite a while after that race, she was considered the front-runner to win the nomination in 2012.

From

“To have that personification . . . and her house was such a tribute to that too . . .”

From

Finally, fittingly, with Monday’s lucrative contract extension, there’s also no more asterisk on Dave Roberts himself, a worthy successor and daily personification of the great Lasorda.

From

When they do finally meet, “it’s an explosion, like the personification of an unstoppable force colliding with an immovable object,” said Watts.

From

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personhoodpersonified