personify

verb

per·​son·​i·​fy pər-ˈsä-nə-ˌfī How to pronounce personify (audio)
personified; personifying

transitive verb

1
: to conceive of or represent as a person or as having human qualities or powers
2
: to be the embodiment or personification of : incarnate
a teacher who personified patience
personifier noun

Examples of personify in a Sentence

The ancient Greeks personified the forces of nature as gods and goddesses. Justice is personified as a woman with her eyes covered.
Recent Examples on the Web And Golshifteh Farahani has really personified a strong, independent badass heroine. Vulture, 20 June 2023 Naomi Campbell Elegance personified, supermodel Naomi Campbell rocked a skirt and blazer with Louis Vuitton's signature monogram. USA TODAY, 20 June 2023 You’re pop personified, so to receive this from your golden pop hands is .. Spin Staff, Spin, 13 Sep. 2023 In the early 2000s, Regina George in Mean Girls personified the calculating bully who used verbal abuse and social isolation to harass other students. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023 Elza van den Heever personifies Senta’s passion as well as naivete in a luminous soprano. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 8 Aug. 2023 In each case, and in Horan’s on Thursday, a key player suddenly came to personify the team’s history and legacy — four World Cup titles, four decades atop world soccer — and turn the momentum her team’s way. Juliet MacUr, New York Times, 27 July 2023 Perhaps that’s why The Entity works as a villain, even if the way the movie personifies it with swooshing graphics and eye-like optics is a little hokey. Marah Eakin, WIRED, 12 July 2023 This group is personified by Aimee Dunkle, a bereaved mom from Orange County and a board member of Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing, or GRASP. Zachary Siegel, The New Republic, 27 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'personify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of personify was in 1728

Dictionary Entries Near personify

Cite this Entry

“Personify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personify. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

personify

verb
per·​son·​i·​fy pər-ˈsän-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce personify (audio)
personified; personifying
1
: to think of or represent as a person
personify the forces of nature
2
: to be the perfect example of
she personified kindness

More from Merriam-Webster on personify

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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