personification

[ per-son-uh-fi-key-shuhn ]
See synonyms for personification on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. the person or thing embodying a quality or the like; an embodiment or incarnation: He is the personification of tact.

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

  3. 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.

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

Origin of personification

1
First recorded in 1745–55; personi(fy) + -fication

Other words from personification

  • per·son·i·fi·ca·tor, noun
  • non·per·son·i·fi·ca·tion, noun

Words Nearby personification

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use personification in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for personification

personification

/ (pɜːˌsɒnɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /


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

  1. a person or thing that personifies

  2. 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