Meanings
present singular third person personifies · participle present personifying · participle past personified · past personified
- transitiveTo be an example of; to have all the attributes of.
Mozart could be said to personify musical genius.
Antonyms: unpersonify
- transitiveTo create a representation of (an abstract quality) in the form of a character or persona.
The writer personified death in the form of the Grim Reaper.
1 more example
If ever any of the girls had taken a fancy to personify their good genius, they would certainly have given to his image all they remembered of "Uncle Frank."
1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 73Antonyms: unpersonify
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo be an example of; to have all the attributes of.
verbTo create a representation of (an abstract quality) in the form of a character or persona.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchpersonnifier
- Englishpersonify
From person + -ify, after French personnifier.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian олицетворявам, въплъщавам
- олицетворявам (olicetvorjavam)to be an example of
- въплъщавам (văplăštavam)to create a representation in the form of a character
Catalan personificar, personificar
- personificarto be an example of
- personificarto create a representation in the form of a character
Finnish henkilöidä, henkilöidä
- henkilöidäto be an example of
- henkilöidäto create a representation in the form of a character
French personnifier, personnifier
- personnifierto be an example of
- personnifierto create a representation in the form of a character
German personifizieren, personifizieren
- personifizierento be an example of
- personifizierento create a representation in the form of a character
Greek προσωποποιώ
- προσωποποιώ (prosopopoió)to create a representation in the form of a character
Hungarian megtestesít, megszemélyesít
- megtestesítto be an example of
- megszemélyesítto create a representation in the form of a character
Italian personificare
- personificareto be an example of
Norwegian personifisere
- personifisereto be an example of
Polish animizować
- animizowaćto create a representation in the form of a character
Russian персонифици́ровать, олицетворя́ть
- персонифици́ровать (personificírovatʹ)to be an example of
- олицетворя́ть (olicetvorjátʹ)to create a representation in the form of a character
- воплоща́ть (voploščátʹ)to create a representation in the form of a character
Spanish personificar, personificar
- personificarto be an example of
- personificarto create a representation in the form of a character
Swedish personifiera
- personifierato be an example of
Welsh personoli
- personolito create a representation in the form of a character
Cite this entry
personify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personify
“personify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personify. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “personify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personify.
Source: personify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.