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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Examples of anthropomorphic in a Sentence

a story in which the characters are anthropomorphic animals

Recent Examples of anthropomorphic from the Web

Peppa Pig: Princess Peppa This gentle animated series for children on Nick Jr. follows the cute adventures of an anthropomorphic pig named Peppa, her little brother George, her parents and her friends.

— chris ball, cleveland.com, "'Baby Driver' races onto DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 19 Oct. 2017
In the past, the event has drawn corporate sponsors to play with active or retired Heat players and to meet the Heat dance team and mascot, Burnie (a fuzzy, anthropomorphic fireball wearing a basketball uniform).

— david a. fahrenthold, Washington Post, "The Miami Heat will move its charity golf tournament away from President Trump’s course," 17 Oct. 2017
An anthropomorphic Confederate flag in colored pencil on a gold leaf background by Bailey Scieszka weeps copious tears as it is stabbed with a blade and set on fire.

— christopher knight, latimes.com, "At Park View gallery, a spellbinding trip into a world turned upside down," 9 Oct. 2017
Richard Adams’ novel about anthropomorphic rabbit death.

— trevor fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Literary pairings: What to drink while you read," 5 Oct. 2017
On or about this day in 1902, Beatrix Potter published The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the children’s book about an anthropomorphic bunny who outruns a homicidal farmer.

— Slate Magazine, "Run for Your Life, Peter Rabbit!," 2 Oct. 2017
Maya the Bee is an animated children’s show about a talking bee named Maya and her adventures with various other anthropomorphic insects, mostly bees.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "Netflix Pulls Children’s-Show Episode for Inappropriate Drawing (It Was a Penis)," 21 Sep. 2017
Usually involving the pairing of an animal with humorous or biblical text, the results are wry, oddly anthropomorphic tableaus that create a very entertaining and eccentric body of work from one of today’s leading culture makers.

— kyle frischkorn, Smithsonian, "Dave Eggers’ Animals Might Be “Ungrateful,” But They Go to a Good Cause," 20 Sep. 2017
Occasionally, Rama molded the rubber, reminiscent of skin or casing, into anthropomorphic curves

— jane yong kim, The Atlantic, "The Sad, Ecstatic Passions of Carol Rama," 3 Sep. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1802

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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ANTHROPOMORPHIC Defined for English Language Learners

anthropomorphic

adjective

Definition of anthropomorphic for English Language Learners

: described or thought of as being like human beings in appearance, behavior, etc.
: considering animals, objects, etc., as having human qualities

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Britannica English: Translation of anthropomorphic for Arabic speakers

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anthropomorphic

Definition of anthropomorphic

anthropomorphically

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anthropomorphic

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anthropomorphic

Definition of anthropomorphic

anthropomorphically

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Origin and Etymology of anthropomorphic

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Definition of anthropomorphic for English Language Learners

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