personification
Americannoun
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the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.
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the representation of a thing or abstraction in the form of a person, as in art.
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the person or thing embodying a quality or the like; an embodiment or incarnation.
He is the personification of tact.
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an imaginary person or creature conceived or figured to represent a thing or abstraction.
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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.
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a character portrayal or representation in a dramatic or literary work.
noun
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the attribution of human characteristics to things, abstract ideas, etc, as for literary or artistic effect
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the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc, as in art and literature
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a person or thing that personifies
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a person or thing regarded as an embodiment of a quality
he is the personification of optimism
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of personification
First recorded in 1745–55; personi(fy) + -fication
Explanation
Personification means "giving human qualities to an abstract idea," as in a movie villain who is the personification of evil. You can use the noun personification in two ways. In the first, a person who is known for a certain quality, like wisdom, is said to represent that quality in a way any can understand, like a patient, generous person who is the personification of kindness. On the other hand, personification can give human qualities to something that isn’t human. For example, you might say, “The sea is angry,” assigning it a human emotion.
Vocabulary lists containing personification
Some Helpful Poetry Terms
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Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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Poetry: Literary Devices
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, Altman has increasingly become the personification of AI technology.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
“He’s the personification of the U.S. military, the human representative of everyone who wears the uniform and their families.”
From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026
Kelly is well-known among team-mates for being the personification of the modern Lionesses.
From BBC • Jul. 28, 2025
“To have that personification . . . and her house was such a tribute to that too . . .”
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2025
You understood that it was better to ride a black horse and dress in black like a personification of evil, so as not to be scoped by a gunman in the night.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
