anthropomorphize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of anthropomorphize
First recorded in 1835–45; anthropomorph(ic) ( def. ) + -ize
Explanation
When you talk about a thing or animal as if it were human, you're anthropomorphizing it. The Easter Bunny is an anthropomorphized rabbit. People anthropomorphize all the time. If you've ever seen a dog in a sweater, that's a small case of an owner anthropomorphizing his pet. A cartoon dog who talks is a bigger case of anthropomorphizing. Shel Silverstein's book The Giving Tree anthropomorphizes the tree — the tree acts as if it were a person. It may seem kind of bizarre, but treating non-human things as human is a way of imagining another point of view.
Vocabulary lists containing anthropomorphize
Life of Pi
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This Week in Pop Culture: May 4–10, 2019
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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Even the instances that did anthropomorphize AI varied widely in strength."
From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026
People who were lonelier were both more likely to interact with AI, and more likely to anthropomorphize it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
The team was inspired by past marketing campaigns that attempted to anthropomorphize imperfect produce, and spent six years putting together their case that making irregular produce appear more human could increase sales.
From Salon • Sep. 11, 2024
“I started thinking about how to include my coping mechanisms and make everyone a character and kind of anthropomorphize my brain.”
From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2024
Charles was always one to anthropomorphize creatures, seeds, rocks even, and could be overheard talking to them as if they understood.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
