personification

noun

per·son·i·fi·ca·tion pər-ˌsä-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce personification (audio)

: attribution of personal qualities

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

: a divinity or imaginary being representing a thing or abstraction

: embodiment, incarnation

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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.

Example Sentences

the use of personification in a story a personification of justice as a woman with her eyes covered

Recent Examples on the Web Slow-moving but fraught with anticipatory dread, Shirley is worth the watch purely for Moss' transformative personification as Jackson, and her magnetic chemistry with Young, which is both energizing and tragic.

Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 28 July 2022 The teaser shows the main character Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), or Dream, the king and personification of dreams and all that is not reality, as he is trapped and imprisoned by a group of sorcerers.

Wilson Chapman, Variety, 6 June 2022 The judges’ role is to evaluate and rate different elements such as the personification and voice of their colleagues.

Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2022 Guzmán, then fifty-seven, had been, for the better part of a decade, the most wanted man in the country, the personification of a battered nation’s collective nightmare.

Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2021 Despite being the personification of toxic masculinity and conceit, Gaston serves as a necessary foil to the beast while also contributing a hell of a song-and-dance number to Beauty and the Beast.

Nitya Rao, Seventeen, 11 Aug. 2022 There was about McCullough the personification of the Boy Scout Handbook sprung to life.

Douglas Brinkley, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2022 In that regard, the two are the personification of old world tradition with a very modern fairy tale twist.

Carole Radziwill, Town & Country, 4 Aug. 2022 The personification of a man’s man, Fuller excelled when pressing motley crews against a common enemy, eager to see what frays and how.

David Mermelstein, WSJ, 27 July 2022 See More

单词	personification
释义	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 See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences the use of personification in a story a personification of justice as a woman with her eyes covered Recent Examples on the Web Slow-moving but fraught with anticipatory dread, Shirley is worth the watch purely for Moss' transformative personification as Jackson, and her magnetic chemistry with Young, which is both energizing and tragic. Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 28 July 2022 The teaser shows the main character Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), or Dream, the king and personification of dreams and all that is not reality, as he is trapped and imprisoned by a group of sorcerers. Wilson Chapman, Variety, 6 June 2022 The judges’ role is to evaluate and rate different elements such as the personification and voice of their colleagues. Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2022 Guzmán, then fifty-seven, had been, for the better part of a decade, the most wanted man in the country, the personification of a battered nation’s collective nightmare. Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2021 Despite being the personification of toxic masculinity and conceit, Gaston serves as a necessary foil to the beast while also contributing a hell of a song-and-dance number to Beauty and the Beast. Nitya Rao, Seventeen, 11 Aug. 2022 There was about McCullough the personification of the Boy Scout Handbook sprung to life. Douglas Brinkley, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2022 In that regard, the two are the personification of old world tradition with a very modern fairy tale twist. Carole Radziwill, Town & Country, 4 Aug. 2022 The personification of a man’s man, Fuller excelled when pressing motley crews against a common enemy, eager to see what frays and how. David Mermelstein, WSJ, 27 July 2022 See More Word History First Known Use 1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1 personification noun as in manifestation a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality) he's the personification of kindness Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance manifestation incarnation image avatar essence abstract icon epitome embodiment objectification externalization model genius incorporation instantiation personifier exemplification realization actualization reincarnation concretization archetype embodier personalization quintessence soul ikon substantiation paradigm exemplar pattern
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personification

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun