ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Personification

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /pɚˌsɑ.nə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Personification is a noun meaning (countable) A person, thing, or name typifying a certain quality or idea; an embodiment or exemplification.

Meaning

(countable) A person, thing, or name typifying a certain quality or idea; an embodiment or exemplification.

More Meanings

  1. (countable) An artistic representation of an abstract quality as a human.
  2. (usually uncountable) The process of creating such a representation: a literary device or other artistic method in which an inanimate object or an idea is given human qualities.

Example Sentences

The Grim Reaper is a personification of death.
The writer used personification to convey her ideas.
Adolf Hitler was the personification of anti-Semitism.
De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?

Word Forms

Synonyms for personification

Depending on context, synonyms include prosopopoeia, incarnation.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include prosopopoeia, incarnation, embodiment, avatar, personifying, impersonization.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.