- 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 ofAlso (rare): personize, personise
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
per•son•i•fy /pɚˈsɑnəˌfaɪ/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -fied, -fy•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Rhetoricto show that (a thing) has a human nature; to represent (a thing) as a person, as in art:The Greek goddess Demeter personifies the richness of mother earth.
- to be a typical example of;
typify:That money-grabbing tycoon personifies the ruthless ambition of some executives.
per•son•i•fy
(pər son′ə fī′),USA pronunciation v.t., -fied, -fy•ing.
per•son′i•fi′a•ble, adj.
per•son′i•fi′ant, adj.
per•son′i•fi′er, n.
- 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. - to personate.
- 1720–30; person + -ify; compare French personnifier, Italian personificare
per•son′i•fi′ant, adj.
per•son′i•fi′er, n.
- 4. represent, exemplify, incorporate.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
personify /pɜːˈsɒnɪˌfaɪ/ vb ( -fies, -fying, -fied) (transitive)
'personified' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
abraxas
- Eurus
- her
- incarnate
- logos
- morality play
- nature
- queen
- she
- taxman
- Amesha Spenta
- apostrophe
- Auster
- Belial
- bitch goddess
- cakra
- chance
- daughter
- death
- destiny
- Diana
- erlking
- fortune
- Jack Frost
- Kama
- lady
- Marianne
- one
- phoebe
- Phoebus
- quality
- who
- Zephyrus
- sol
- sun god