Meanings
nounpersonification (countable and uncountable, plural personifications)
plural personifications
- countableA person, thing, or name typifying a certain quality or idea; an embodiment or exemplification.
Adolf Hitler was the personification of anti-Semitism.
2 more examples
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.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Publishing”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 12De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?
1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 52 - countableAn artistic representation of an abstract quality as a human.
The Grim Reaper is a personification of death.
- uncountableusuallyThe 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.
The writer used personification to convey her ideas.
1 more example
You might search in vain if you go looking for personification in his works: his style was very concrete.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounrepresenting an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature
Similar
Broader
nounthe act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic تَجْسِيد
- تَجْسِيد (tajsīd)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
Basque pertsonifikazio
- pertsonifikazioartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
Bulgarian олицетворение, въплъщение
- олицетворение (olicetvorenie)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- въплъщение (văplăštenie)artistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
Catalan personificació, personificació
- personificacióperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personificacióartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- personificacióliterary device
- prosopopeialiterary device
Chinese Mandarin 擬人 /拟人, 人格化形象
- 擬人 /拟人 (nǐrén)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- 人格化形象 (réngéhuà xíngxiàng)literary device
Czech personifikace, zosobnění
- personifikaceliterary device
- zosobněníliterary device
Danish personificering, personificering
- personificeringperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personificeringartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- personificeringliterary device
Dutch personificatie, verpersoonlijking
- personificatieperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- verpersoonlijkingperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personificatieartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- personificatieliterary device
Finnish henkilöitymä, henkilöitymä
- henkilöitymäperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- henkilöitymäartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- henkilöintiliterary device
- personifikaatioliterary device
French personnification
- personnificationperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
German Personifizierung, Personifizierung
- Personifizierungperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- Personifizierungartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- Personbildungliterary device
- Personendichtungliterary device
- Personifikationliterary device
- Prosopopöieliterary device
- Personifizierungliterary device
Greek προσωποποίηση
- προσωποποίηση (prosopopoíisi)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
Hungarian megtestesülés, megtestesítő
- megtestesülésperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- megtestesítőperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- megtestesültperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- megszemélyesítésartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- megszemélyesítésliterary device
Indonesian personifikasi
- personifikasiperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
Italian personificazione
- personificazioneartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
Japanese 擬人化
- 擬人化 (gijinka)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
Malay personifikasi
- personifikasiperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
Norwegian Bokmål personifikasjon, personifisering
- personifikasjonperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personifiseringperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personifikasjonartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- personifiseringartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
Polish uosobienie, personifikacja
- uosobienieperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personifikacjaperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- wcielenieperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- uosobienieartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- animizacjaartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- ożywienieartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- personifikacjaliterary device
- uosobienieliterary device
Portuguese personificação, personificação
- personificaçãoperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personificaçãoartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- personificaçãoliterary device
Russian олицетворе́ние, воплоще́ние
- олицетворе́ние (olicetvorénije)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- воплоще́ние (voploščénije)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- персонифика́ция (personifikácija)artistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- персонифика́ция (personifikácija)literary device
Spanish personificación, personificación
- personificaciónperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personificaciónartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- personificaciónliterary device
- prosopopeyaliterary device
- metagogeliterary device
Swedish personifikation, personifikation
- personifikationperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- personifikationliterary device
Tagalog pagsasatao
- pagsasataoliterary device
Thai บุคคลวัต
- บุคคลวัตliterary device
Turkish tecessüm, tecessüm
- tecessümperson, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- tecessümartistic representation of an abstract quality as a human
- tecessümliterary device
Ukrainian персоніфіка́ція, персоніфіка́ція
- персоніфіка́ція (personifikácija)person, thing or name typifying a certain quality or idea
- персоніфіка́ція (personifikácija)literary device
Welsh personoliad
- personoliadliterary device
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with personification
informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
personification. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personification
MLA
“personification.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personification. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “personification,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personification.
Source: personification on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.