anthropomorphism

American  

[an-thruh-puh-mawr-fiz-uhm] / ˌæn θrə pəˈmɔr fɪz əm /

noun

1. an anthropomorphic conception or representation, as of a deity.

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anthropomorphism British  

/ ˌænθrəpəˈmɔːfɪzəm /

noun

1. the attribution of human form or behaviour to a deity, animal, etc

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anthropomorphism Cultural  

1. The attributing of human characteristics and purposes to inanimate objects, animals, plants, or other natural phenomena, or to God. To describe a rushing river as “angry” is to anthropomorphize it.

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Other Word Forms

• anthropomorphist noun

Etymology

Origin of anthropomorphism

First recorded in 1745–55; anthropo- + -morphism

Example Sentences

But by the 1980s, much chimp behavior was being interpreted in ways that would have been labeled anthropomorphism — ascribing human traits to non-human entities — decades earlier.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025

My notion of anthropomorphism kept changing as I spent time with him.

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2022

The otters are a good example of us doing classic anthropomorphism.

From Slate • Jun. 21, 2022

They smack of narcissism, anthropomorphism and wishful thinking.

From Scientific American • Sep. 20, 2021

All are instances of that animal equivalent of anthropomorphism: zoomorphism, where an animal takes a human being, or another animal, to be one of its kind.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel