English Dictionary |
PERSONIFY (personified)
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
IPA (US): |
Dictionary entry overview: What does personify mean?
• PERSONIFY (verb)
The verb PERSONIFY has 3 senses:
1. invest with or as with a body; give body to
2. represent, as of a character on stage
3. attribute human qualities to something
Familiarity information: PERSONIFY used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Conjugation: |
Past simple: personified
Past participle: personified
-ing form: personifying
Sense 1
Meaning:
Invest with or as with a body; give body to
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
body; personify
Hypernyms (to "personify" is one way to...):
be; embody; personify (represent, as of a character on stage)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
person (a human body (usually including the clothing))
personification (representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature)
personification (a person who represents an abstract quality)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Represent, as of a character on stage
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
Context example:
Derek Jacobi was Hamlet
Hypernyms (to "personify" is one way to...):
represent; stand for; symbolise; symbolize; typify (express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "personify"):
body; personify (invest with or as with a body; give body to)
exemplify; represent (be characteristic of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
persona ((Jungian psychology) a personal facade that one presents to the world)
persona (an actor's portrayal of someone in a play)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Attribute human qualities to something
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Synonyms:
personate; personify
Context example:
The Greeks personated their gods ridiculous
Hypernyms (to "personify" is one way to...):
ascribe; assign; attribute; impute (attribute or credit to)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
person (a human being)
person (a human body (usually including the clothing))
personification (the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.)
Context examples
In an immediate way it personified his life.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
“She might almost personify Britannia,” said he, “with her complete self-absorption and general air of comfortable somnolence. Well, au revoir, Von Bork!”
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
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