embodiment

American  

[em-bod-ee-muhnt] / ɛmˈbɒd i mənt /

noun

1. the act of embodying.

2. the state or fact of being embodied.

3. a person, being, or thing embodying a spirit, principle, abstraction, etc; incarnation.

4. something embodied.

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Other Word Forms

• preembodiment noun

Etymology

Origin of embodiment

First recorded in 1820–30; embody + -ment

Explanation

The embodiment of something gives concrete form to an abstract idea. A flag is the embodiment of a country. When you talk about embodiment, you're talking about giving a form to ideas that are usually not physical: like love, hate, fear, justice, etc. A gavel is the embodiment of justice; a wedding ring can be the embodiment of love. The word body in embodiment is a clue to its meaning: this is a word for giving a body to things that usually don't have one.

Example Sentences

Donatello, the embodiment of an Old World defined more by superstition than piety and by tradition than goodness, lacks the character to withstand Miriam’s inner darkness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Domingues found the ideal embodiment of this complex character in Kaiony Venâncio, an actor from the city of Natal who had mostly worked in short films.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

They then tested how different movement speeds influenced embodiment, including body ownership, sense of agency, usability, and social impressions such as competence and discomfort.

From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2026

"We want to be able to breathe intelligence into any sort of physical embodiment, whether that's a humanoid robot or even something that looks closer to an appliance," says co-founder Chelsea Finn.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2026

Yet it is my firm conviction that at the peak of his career at Loughborough House, my father was indeed the embodiment of 'dignity'.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• apotheosis
• archetype
• avatar
• epitome
• exemplar
• expression
• personification
• realization
• symbol