anthropomorphize

verb an·thro·po·mor·phize \ -ˌfīz \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Definition of anthropomorphize

anthropomorphized; anthropomorphizing

transitive verb

: to attribute human form or personality to

intransitive verb

: to attribute human form or personality to things not human

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anthropomorphization

play \-ˌmȯr-fə-ˈzā-shən\ noun

Recent Examples of anthropomorphize from the Web

Everything — everything — is anthropomorphized: pajamas, marshmallows, the moon, dollar bills.

— margaret lyons, New York Times, "How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?," 5 July 2018
Critics and writers often anthropomorphize wines, and there has been a tendency to characterize Spottswoode’s offerings as feminine.

— jay mcinerney, Town & Country, "The Matriarchal Napa Valley Vineyard That Escaped Last Year's Fires," 23 Mar. 2018
New York is often anthropomorphized as a bad boyfriend who’s both hard to keep and hard to leave.

— sari botton, Longreads, "Inadvertent Matchmaker Seeks a Love of Her Own," 15 Feb. 2018
But they haven’t been anthropomorphized in the same way as other animals.

— alex shoumatoff, Smithsonian, "To Save Giraffes, We May Need to Put Our Necks Out," 29 Mar. 2017
Having once appeared on our cover, Otis is the world's most beloved anthropomorphized avocado.

— florian nicolle, Car and Driver, "What I'd Do Differently: Otis the Avocado," 11 Dec. 2017
Brooks is saying that Musk is anthropomorphizing A.I. and thus overestimating its danger.

— nick thieme, Slate Magazine, "Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk Are Both Wrong About A.I.," 27 July 2017
The moon and even a bus also are anthropomorphized by Jessica Martin and Lawrence Weber.

— theodore p. mahne, NOLA.com, "Dramatic musical 'Caroline, or Change' a fresh look at old Southern themes," 31 Oct. 2017
But though the instinct to anthropomorphize is innate, there are circumstances that make someone more likely to do so.

— arianna rebolini, The Atlantic, "What's the Point of Talking to Your Pet?," 18 Aug. 2017

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