personification

American  

[per-son-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / pərˌsɒn ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

personifications plural

1. the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.

2. the representation of a thing or abstraction in the form of a person, as in art.

3. the person or thing embodying a quality or the like; an embodiment or incarnation.

   He is the personification of tact.

4. an imaginary person or creature conceived or figured to represent a thing or abstraction.

5. 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.

6. a character portrayal or representation in a dramatic or literary work.

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personification British  

/ pɜːˌsɒnɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the attribution of human characteristics to things, abstract ideas, etc, as for literary or artistic effect

2. the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc, as in art and literature

3. a person or thing that personifies

4. a person or thing regarded as an embodiment of a quality

   he is the personification of optimism

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpersonification
  noun
• personificator
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• personifications
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

personification personifications

Ms. Acton, who holds degrees in medicine and public health, thus found herself the personification of public health, for Ohio’s 12 million residents, during the worst medical crisis in the past century.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Instead, Altman has increasingly become the personification of AI technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

Bale blossomed into an otherworldly talent who went on to achieve feats beyond any of his countrymen, the personification of Wales' golden generation.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

She said, “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying, ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.’

From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2024

It was only a dim personification: something vague and immense which with its motion brought about change and therefore was alive.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

If the "Sex and the City" universe is a fantasia of materialist gloss tethered to reality by genuine truths, then the personifications of this idea should maintain a crumb of constancy.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2023

I think of these objects as personifications, as having the capacity to be storytellers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2022

Neither of the Haywoods feel quite like “real” people but rather like heightened personifications of artists hungry to become part of the movie-making business — no matter the cost.

From The Verge ● Jul. 21, 2022

Yet Scott’s script teeters between presenting fully drawn characters and firm personifications, ultimately failing at either.

From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2021

The Phoenician, though written in the style of history, is made up of personifications of time, the sun, the stars, earth, seasons, etc.

From Religion In The Heavens Or, Mythology Unveiled in a Series of Lectures by Mitchell, Logan