personification

per·son·i·fi·ca·tion

noun \pər-ˌsä-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən\

Definition of PERSONIFICATION

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

Examples of PERSONIFICATION

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

First Known Use of PERSONIFICATION

circa 1755

Related to PERSONIFICATION

Synonyms

abstract, avatar, embodier, epitome, externalization, genius, icon (also ikon), image, incarnation, incorporation, instantiation, manifestation, objectification, embodiment, personifier

Related Words

actualization, concretization, exemplification, personalization, realization, substantiation; essence, quintessence, soul; archetype, exemplar, model, paradigm, pattern; reincarnation

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

Rhymes with PERSONIFICATION

characterization, circumnavigation, commercialization, criminalization, cross-examination, de-Stalinization, decentralization, declassification, decontamination, dehumanization, demystification, deterioration, differentiation, disassociation, disorientation, disorganization, disqualification, diversification, electrification, excommunication, exemplification, experimentation, extemporization, externalization, generalization, homogenization, hospitalization, hyperventilation, idealization, identification, indemnification, indetermination, indiscrimination, individuation, insubordination, intensification, intermediation, italicization, masculinization, megacorporation, militarization, miniaturization, misappropriation, miscommunication, misinterpretation, misrepresentation, monopolization, nonproliferation, overcompensation, overpopulation, popularization, predetermination, ratiocination, rationalization, recapitulation, reconciliation, reconsideration, rehabilitation, reinterpretation, reorganization, revitalization, secularization, solidification, tintinnabulation, transubstantiation, underestimation, undervaluation, visualization