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personify
[ per-son-uh-fahy ]
verb (used with object)
- to attribute human nature or character to (an inanimate object or an abstraction), as in speech or writing.
- to represent (a thing or abstraction) in the form of a person, as in art.
- to embody (a quality, idea, etc.) in a real person or a concrete thing.
- to be an embodiment or incarnation of; typify:
He personifies the ruthless ambition of some executives.
The vicar's wife was grace and beauty personified.
Synonyms: incorporate, exemplify, represent
- to personate.
personify
/ pɜːˈsɒnɪˌfaɪ /
verb
- to attribute human characteristics to (a thing or abstraction)
- to represent (an abstract quality) in human or animal form
- (of a person or thing) to represent (an abstract quality), as in art or literature
- to be the embodiment of
Derived Forms
- perˈsoniˌfiable, adjective
- perˈsoniˌfier, noun
Other Words From
- per·son·i·fi·a·ble [per-son-, uh, -, fahy, -, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
- per·son·i·fi·ant adjective
- per·son·i·fi·er noun
- un·per·son·i·fy·ing adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of personify1
Example Sentences
In one scene, he confronts his brother’s epilepsy, which he personifies as a dragon.
Still, the Trocks have gotten away with it for so long because the humor and the beauty they personify are able to reach across the barriers of intellect and identity and strike a universal chord with their audiences.
She personified the postwar generation’s apprehension about the mid-century women’s movement, especially when it came to sexual agency.
King personified connections between the private experiences of women and larger social and political structures.
The nefarious algorithms at work, hilariously personified in the film by actor Vincent Kartheiser, analyze our online activity to build a detailed model of our preferences.
Prabhakaran had come to personify the movement, and his end, so wretched, became the emblem of Tamil defeat and Sinhalese triumph.
Florida shopping-center magnate Mel Sembler is proud to personify the sort of Republican fat cat that Mitt Romney is depending on.
ARIES Hitting your stride, you personify progressive ideals without seeming like a free radical.
A public apology is one should personify the first of these.
In the Dakota theory of the universe they personify the maternal power and spirit by the name Hunka.
Great causes need an historical figure to personify their interests and tendencies.
In Bible history the same term has been employed to personify the tradition of the first shipbuilder, Noah.
You have stepped into quite a new character—you personify Retributive Justice now.
These wild riders of the stormy sky, like their prototypes in the Vedas, personify or typify "rain senders."
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