anthropomorphic

adjective

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

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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

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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").

Examples of anthropomorphic in a Sentence

a story in which the characters are anthropomorphic animals

Recent Examples on the Web There’s an anthropomorphic quality to them that seems natural at a street intersection. — Washington Post, 22 July 2021 Remember Clippy, that irksome little anthropomorphic paper clip that use to pop into your Word document and disrupt your train of thought? — Allison Morrow, CNN, 15 July 2021 Of course, while plotting the anthropomorphic android’s sweeping trajectory, the Imagineers were also forced to consider gravity. — Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2021 SemJay cites the enormous popularity of anthropomorphic costume-heavy shows like Masked Singer as an example. — Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2021 In the small office that Di Giorgio and Alongi share, two bobbleheads that were supposed to be given out last season — one of Gigante, another of an anthropomorphic churro — sit across from Alongi’s desk, just waiting to be handed out to fans. — Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 June 2021 In stories, trees that interact are declared anthropomorphic, because fellow feeling is considered a human trait. — Rebecca Giggs, The Atlantic, 17 June 2021 Conspiracy theorists believed that vaguely anthropomorphic bodies had been recovered there, and that the crash debris had been entrusted to private military contractors, who raced to unlock alien hardware before the Russians could. — Gideon Lewis-kraus, The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2021 And lawyers in masks debated whether an anthropomorphic banana without pants was appropriate to show in federal court. — New York Times, 24 May 2021

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.

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Dictionary Entries Near anthropomorphic

Anthropomorpha

anthropomorphic

Anthropomorphidae

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Last Updated

29 Jul 2021

Cite this Entry

“Anthropomorphic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthropomorphic. Accessed 19 Aug. 2021.

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