anthropomorphize

verb

an·​thro·​po·​mor·​phize ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˈmȯr-ˌfīz How to pronounce anthropomorphize (audio)
anthropomorphized; anthropomorphizing

transitive verb

: to attribute human form or personality to

intransitive verb

: to attribute human form or personality to things not human
anthropomorphization noun

Examples of anthropomorphize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Without anthropomorphizing things, contemporary AI has a similar bias or slant. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026 In my graduate training, I was taught to avoid anthropomorphizing animal research subjects – to resist the temptation to project human thoughts and emotions onto nonhuman minds, because human brains likely contribute to uniquely human cognitive and emotional experiences. Kelly Lambert, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026 And the actor who narrates the opening scene, describing an essay Nora wrote as a child that anthropomorphized the family home, is Bente Børsum. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026 The Friend Dog movies are a regular fixture of the cinematic firmament, but Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s drama, based on Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award–winning 2018 novel, distinguishes itself by not trying to anthropomorphize its central animal, to enter its mind and give it a voice. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anthropomorphize

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of anthropomorphize was in 1825

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Cite this Entry

“Anthropomorphize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthropomorphize. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.

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