anthropomorphic

[ an-thruh-puh-mawr-fik ]

/ ˌæn θrə pəˈmɔr fɪk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for anthropomorphic on Thesaurus.com

adjective

ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing not human, especially to a deity: Much has been written on the anthropomorphic qualities of the God of the Hebrew Scriptures.Children especially love anthropomorphic tales where talking animal friends have exciting adventures.

resembling or made to resemble a human form: an anthropomorphic carving.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also an·thro·po·mor·phous

[an-thruh-puh-mawr-fuhs] /ˌæn θrə pəˈmɔr fəs/ .

Origin of anthropomorphic

First recorded in 1820–30; anthropo- + -morphic

OTHER WORDS FROM anthropomorphic

an·thro·po·mor·phi·cal·ly, an·thro·po·mor·phous·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH anthropomorphic

anthropocentric, anthropomorphic

Words nearby anthropomorphic

anthropology, anthropometer, anthropometric, anthropometrics, anthropometry, anthropomorphic, anthropomorphism, anthropomorphize, anthropomorphosis, anthropomorphous, anthroponomy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anthropomorphic in a sentence

Major Paik works from the 1970s and ’80s include a garden dismally strewn with 49 TV sets and several delightful anthropomorphic sculptures made from lashed-together TVs.
Nam June Paik predicted the Internet, YouTube and Instagram. But he was more interesting as an artist than as a prophet.|Sebastian Smee|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
There’s an anthropomorphic quality to them that seems natural at a street intersection.
Finding these artful animals around Capitol Hill is as easy as ABC|Fritz Hahn|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
The real amusement simply comes from chatting up the menagerie of anthropomorphic animals who are generally some combination of jaded, guarded and broken, with a touch of don’t-give-a-damn.
‘Chicken Police - Paint it RED!’: A dryly-comedic rooster in a trench coat is only half the fun|Christopher Byrd|May 21, 2021|Washington Post
It is anthropomorphic, they argue, to say that other creatures experience feelings like compassion, even when their behavior appears — to our human eyes — to be impelled by it.
Eye-opening acts of empathy in the animal kingdom|Richard Schiffman|April 9, 2021|Washington Post

These appear to dance across transparent displays — and into such canvases as “Bluewalker,” whose shapes are less anthropomorphic but do suggest bodies in motion.
In the galleries: Exploring the tension between physical and digital art|Mark Jenkins|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Totes, T-shirts, and an anthropomorphic stuffed rat are for sale at the gift shop.
Brooklyn’s Museum of Death: Inside Morbid Anatomy’s House of Intriguing Horrors|Nina Strochlic|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The children of The Cat in the Hat are left in the care of a massive anthropomorphic feline.
Maurice Sendak Knew Enough to Put the Bite Back in Children’s Stories|Andrew Romano|May 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The rainbow which incloses the picture on three sides is not the anthropomorphic rainbow.
The Mountain Chant, A Navajo Ceremony|Washington Matthews
He would find that the modern statues by famous artists were beautiful anthropomorphic works in marble or in gold and ivory.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1|Andrew Lang
To vindicate his spirituality the anthropomorphic passages in the Koran must be understood metaphorically.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik
The Gentiles make use of the anthropomorphic expressions in the Bible to annoy us, charging us with believing in a corporeal God.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik
In the advance from man to the anthropomorphic god, the hero would surely already have been encountered.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt

British Dictionary definitions for anthropomorphic

anthropomorphic

/ (ˌænθrəpəˈmɔːfɪk) /

adjective

of or relating to anthropomorphism

resembling the human form

Derived forms of anthropomorphic

anthropomorph, nounanthropomorphically, adverb

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

anthropomorphic

Origin of anthropomorphic

OTHER WORDS FROM anthropomorphic

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH anthropomorphic

Words nearby anthropomorphic

Words related to anthropomorphic

How to use anthropomorphic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anthropomorphic

Derived forms of anthropomorphic