anthropomorphize

verb

an·​thro·​po·​mor·​phize ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˈmȯr-ˌfīz 

anthropomorphized; anthropomorphizing

transitive verb

: to attribute human form or personality to

intransitive verb

: to attribute human form or personality to things not human

anthropomorphization

ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˌmȯr-fə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of anthropomorphize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

In a prologue—Trier is unfashionably fond of them—a young girl who lives there, Nora, describes the place with a tender, anthropomorphizing curiosity. —Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Children also have a higher tendency to anthropomorphize, or to attribute human characteristics or behavior to non-human entities, said Kim. —Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025

Make something soft and face-having, and the human brain will happily anthropomorphize it. —Marisa McMillan, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

anthropomorph(ic) or anthropomorph(ism) + -ize

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for anthropomorphize

• contextualize
• industrialize
• materialise
• materialize
• memorialize
• microenterprise
• overemphasize
• particularize
• revolutionise
• revolutionize
• actualize
• antagonize