Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

anthropomorphism

play
noun an·thro·po·mor·phism \ -ˌfi-zəm \

Definition of anthropomorphism

:an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics :humanization
  • Children's stories have a long tradition of anthropomorphism.
—

anthropomorphist

play \-fist\ noun

Explore M-W

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'
image536372841
Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes
alt-59c2cb9e9ef54
Trending: Ivanka: "An 'Otherwise' Incredible Day"
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Recent Examples of anthropomorphism from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of anthropomorphism

see anthropomorphic

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Medical Dictionary

anthropomorphism

play
noun an·thro·po·mor·phism \ ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˈmȯr-ˌfiz-əm \

medical Definition of anthropomorphism

:an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics — compare theriomorphism
—

anthropomorphic

play \-fik\ adjective
—

anthropomorphically

play \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Learn More about anthropomorphism

  1. See words that rhyme with anthropomorphism Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anthropomorphism

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up anthropomorphism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

shofar

play

a ram's-horn trumpet used in Judaism

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. otherwise "in other respects"

  2. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  3. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  4. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  5. allegory No spoilers!

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

anthropomorphism

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game