personification

noun

per·​son·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion pər-ˌsä-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: attribution of personal qualities

especially : representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form

2

: a divinity or imaginary being representing a thing or abstraction

3

: embodiment, incarnation

Did you know?

The Art of Personification

It was long common in the visual arts to use human figures to represent a range of natural phenomena, personal qualities, abstract conceptions, and so on. The Greeks and Romans showed us how. Many of their gods and goddesses themselves represented a single thing, be it dawn (Eos, Aurora), wisdom (Athena, Minerva), or war (Ares, Mars); when depicted in idealized human form (as, say, a stately woman holding a scales), each became a personification of that phenomenon or quality or concept (in this case, Justice). Inspired by classical art, Renaissance painters and sculptors likewise began producing thousands of artistic personifications--of Time, or Folly, or France, or Vice, or Poetry, or the Americas. And in the 18th century English-speakers began using the word itself. Today artists are less inclined to such depictions, and the word gets used more often to describe actual individuals; when we call someone the personification of style, or greed, or loyalty, we mean the ideal or epitome or embodiment of that quality.

Synonyms

• abstract
• avatar
• embodier
• embodiment
• epitome
• externalization
• genius
• icon
• ikon
• image
• incarnation
• incorporation
• instantiation
• manifestation
• objectification
• personifier

Examples of personification in a Sentence

the use of personification in a story

a personification of justice as a woman with her eyes covered

Recent Examples on the Web

In the book, Dave depicted Toph (short for Christopher) as a guileless kid, the personification of hope. —Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024

What was far less obvious, however, was that the show was using her to set the stage for a time-jumping episode that would provide key context for some of the show’s most satisfying twists: Rio was actually the personification of death in disguise. —Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 1 Nov. 2024

Macron has often been overeager to be seen as the personification of the republic. —Justin E. H. Smith, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2020

The corollary is that the Palestinian is a personification first and a person second. —Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

personification

noun

per·​son·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion pər-ˌsän-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the representation of a thing or idea as a person or by the human form

2

: an imaginary being thought of as representing a thing or an idea

Uncle Sam is the personification of the U.S.

3

: a perfect example : embodiment

you are the very personification of generosity