Anthropomorphically Definition & Meaning

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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 ("interpreting or regarding the world in terms of human values and experiences"), 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 Tug Rice collection is undoubtedly Hal the Bear, an anthropomorphic ursine who owes something of a stylistic debt to the dandyish director. — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2022 On its hard-plastic cover, there was an anthropomorphic bear dressed like a ballerina balancing on a single chubby toe. — Virgie Tovar, refinery29.com, 29 Mar. 2022 Located in the Khashabiyeh Mountains, in the eastern Al-Jafr Basin, the shrine features two large standing stones carved with anthropomorphic figures, as well as an altar and hearth. — David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2022 The heroine of this anthropomorphic tale is a young rabbit, Cress, who after her father’s death must move with her mother and baby brother to low-rent digs in an unfamiliar part of the forest. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2022 Humans are apt to attribute anthropomorphic properties to AI. — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022 But there are few writerly flourishes, and certainly none of the personal and anthropomorphic musings that characterize so much nature writing today. — Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2022 Among the challenges was how to bring Doc Ock’s metallic arms to menacing life; early footage using puppetry was largely scrapped, with CGI offering more movement to the anthropomorphic appendages. — Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2022 Winners in the emerging artist category: John W. Balsley creates drawings and comics with anthropomorphic characters and satirical situations, influenced both by animated cartoons and alternative comics. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2022 See More

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

12 Apr 2022

Cite this Entry

“Anthropomorphic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthropomorphic. Accessed 17 Apr. 2022.

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