anthropomorphize

[ an-thruh-puh-mawr-fahyz ]

/ ˌæn θrə pəˈmɔr faɪz /

verb (used with or without object), an·thro·po·mor·phized, an·thro·po·mor·phiz·ing.

to ascribe human form or attributes to (an animal, plant, material object, etc.).

Nearby words

anthropometer, anthropometrics, anthropometry, anthropomorphic, anthropomorphism, anthropomorphize, anthropomorphosis, anthropomorphous, anthroponomy, anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, anthroponym

Also especially British, an·thro·po·mor·phise.

Origin of anthropomorphize

First recorded in 1835–45; anthropomorph(ic) + -ize

Related forms

an·thro·po·mor·phi·za·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for anthropomorphise

If man is a microcosm then kosmos is a megalanthrope and that is how we come to anthropomorphise the deity.
The Note-Books of Samuel Butler|Samuel Butler
So we spiritualise the material universe, and afterwards, by an incongruous consistency, anthropomorphise spirit.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 61, No. 378, April, 1847|Various
We may be inclined to infer that the hero can stand alone, whilst a Totem needs the alliance of a hero to anthropomorphise it.
The Origin of Man and of his Superstitions|Carveth Read

British Dictionary definitions for anthropomorphise

anthropomorphize

anthropomorphise

/ (ˌænθrəpəˈmɔːfaɪz) /

verb

to attribute or ascribe human form or behaviour to (a god, animal, object, etc)

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