Personifying: meaning, definitions and examples

Personifying is often used in literature and storytelling when giving human characteristics to non-human entities or abstract concepts.

• The poet excelled at personifying nature, making the trees seem as if they whispered secrets.
• In his speech, he was personifying freedom as a vigilant guardian.

Anthropomorphize is commonly used in scientific or critical discussions when describing the act of attributing human traits or emotions to animals, objects, or deities.

• Children tend to anthropomorphize their stuffed animals, giving them names and personalities.
• The researcher cautioned against the tendency to anthropomorphize animal behavior in the study.

Humanize is often used in discussions about making something more relatable or understandable by giving it human characteristics, typically in a way that is meant to evoke empathy.

• The documentary sought to humanize refugees by sharing their personal stories.
• By humanizing the robot, the developers aimed to make it more user-friendly.

Embodiment is used when referring to a physical or tangible manifestation of an abstract concept, idea, or quality.

• She is the embodiment of kindness; everyone in the community looks up to her.
• The hero of the story was seen as the embodiment of courage and resilience.

Used when giving human characteristics to non-human entities or concepts, often in literature and art to create vivid imagery.

• The poet is known for personifying nature, with the wind whispering secrets and the trees dancing in joy.
• Personifying fear as a looming shadow added depth to the horror story.

Commonly used in academic and professional settings to assign credit, responsibility, or blame to someone or something.

• The success of the project was due to the attribution of hard work by the entire team.
• Incorrect attribution of sources in an essay can lead to accusations of plagiarism.

Used in psychology to describe the act of attributing one's own feelings, desires, or thoughts onto someone else. Often has a negative connotation.

• Her constant criticism of others seemed like a projection of her own insecurities.
• In the meeting, his projection of failure onto the team demoralized everyone.

Used in psychology and sociology to describe the process of projecting inner thoughts and feelings onto the external world; also used in business to describe outsourcing.

• In therapy, externalization helps clients separate their identity from their problems.
• The company’s externalization of production to overseas suppliers helped reduce costs.