Personification

/pɚˌsɑ.nə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ · noun

Meaning

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

Definitions by Sense

1. (countable) A person, thing, or name typifying a certain quality or idea; an embodiment or exemplification.
2. (countable) An artistic representation of an abstract quality as a human.
3. (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

Adolf Hitler was the personification of anti-Semitism.

He might have sat for a personification of fear: if he moved, he seemed rather afraid of his own shadow following him too closely; if he laughed, he soon checked himself, quite alarmed at the sound.

De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?

The Grim Reaper is a personification of death.

You might search in vain if you go looking for personification in his works: his style was very concrete.

The writer used personification to convey her ideas.

Synonyms for personification

Antonyms for personification

Related Words

Word Forms

• personifications

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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