personification
noun
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The Art of Personification
It was long common in the visual arts to use human figures to represent a range of natural phenomena, personal qualities, abstract conceptions, and so on. The Greeks and Romans showed us how. Many of their gods and goddesses themselves represented a single thing, be it dawn (Eos, Aurora), wisdom (Athena, Minerva), or war (Ares, Mars); when depicted in idealized human form (as, say, a stately woman holding a scales), each became a personification of that phenomenon or quality or concept (in this case, Justice). Inspired by classical art, Renaissance painters and sculptors likewise began producing thousands of artistic personifications--of Time, or Folly, or France, or Vice, or Poetry, or the Americas. And in the 18th century English-speakers began using the word itself. Today artists are less inclined to such depictions, and the word gets used more often to describe actual individuals; when we call someone the personification of style, or greed, or loyalty, we mean the ideal or epitome or embodiment of that quality.
Examples of personification in a Sentence
Jennie Egerdie, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
In Greek mythology, Kairos is the personification of opportunity or a decisive moment.
—Fiona Tapp, Parents, 10 Apr. 2025
That dream match is the perfect personification of a battle of two different eras.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
But Olympia is the personification of all the damage she’s caused.
—Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for personification
Cite this Entry
“Personification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personification. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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personification
noun
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