anthropomorphic

adjective an·thro·po·mor·phic \ ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˈmȯr-fik \

Definition of anthropomorphic

1 :described or thought of as having a human form or human attributes

anthropomorphic deities

stories involving anthropomorphic animals

2 :ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman things

anthropomorphic supernaturalism

anthropomorphic beliefs about nature

—

anthropomorphically

play \-fi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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anthropomorphic was our Word of the Day on 04/08/2008. Hear the podcast!

Examples of anthropomorphic in a Sentence

a story in which the characters are anthropomorphic animals

Recent Examples of anthropomorphic from the Web

One track was accompanied by anthropomorphic mushrooms.

— by bill brownlee, kansascity, "RL Grime headlines the Seasons Music Festival at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland," 5 Aug. 2017
Matthew McConaughey lends his voice to an animated juke-box musical that sees a town of anthropomorphic animals competing in a singing competition.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "What's new on Netflix in August 2017? From 'Sing' to 'Marvel's The Defenders'," 31 July 2017
The program sees the magical anthropomorphic bear Brigsby doing battle with an evil wizard in the moon while also teaching multiplication.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Brigsby Bear Is a Clever Bit of Fake ’80s Nostalgia," 28 July 2017
Burke’s Instagram is a trove of her own maximalist pileups: wraparound pygmy rings, anthropomorphic suns with their tongues wagging, a dainty torso of a hermaphrodite.

— laura regensdorf, Vogue, "Meet the Rome-Based Jewelry Designer Who Matches Her Rings to Her Manicure," 19 July 2017
The special effects and C.G.I., as always, look expensive and are impressively rendered, even if the increasingly anthropomorphic Transformers are edging closer and closer to the Uncanny Valley.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT," 20 June 2017
One early item was an anthropomorphic pumpkin for Halloween named Petey Pumpkin.

— matt campbell, kansascity.com, "Her soft touch with toys leads to a career with Hallmark and beyond," 2 June 2017
Illustrations of the titular anthropomorphic vehicles are shown, along with footage of Capital Transit employees maintaining the fleet and some nice shots of the District from 75 years ago.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "Take it from Tilly: Some people have always been clueless on public transportation," 24 May 2017
The Fringe Factor: The cast gives real life to this script about anthropomorphic cows and chickens and businesswomen.

— trevor fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Now With Chikin' at Orlando Fringe Festival," 16 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anthropomorphic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Anthropomorphic comes from the Late Latin word anthropomorphus, which itself traces to a Greek term birthed from the roots "anthrōp-" (meaning "human being") and "-morphos" ("-morphous"). Those ancient Greek roots have given form and personality to many English words. "Anthrōp-" relatives include "anthropic" ("relating to human beings or the period of their existence on earth"), "anthropocentric" ("considering human beings the center of the universe"), "anthropoid" (an ape), and "anthropology" ("the study of human beings and their ancestors"). Derivatives of "-morphos" often end in "-morphism," as in "polymorphism" ("the quality or state of existing in or assuming different forms"), or "-morphic," as in "biomorphic" ("resembling the forms of living organisms").

Origin and Etymology of anthropomorphic

Late Latin anthropomorphus of human form, from Greek anthrōpomorphos, from anthrōp- + -morphos -morphous

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First Known Use: 1802

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anthropomorphic

Definition of anthropomorphic

anthropomorphically

anthropomorphic was our Word of the Day on 04/08/2008. Hear the podcast!

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Origin and Etymology of anthropomorphic

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anthropomorphic

Definition of anthropomorphic

anthropomorphically

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