Adjacent Words

Personify definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PERSON'IFY, v.t. [L. persona and facio.] To give animation to inanimate objects; to ascribe to an inanimate being the sentiments, actions or language of a rational being or person,or to represent an inanimate being with the affections and actions of a person. Thus we say, the plants thirst for rain.
The trees said to the fig-tree, come thou, and reign over us. Judges 9.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: invest with or as with a body; give body to [syn: body, personify]
2: represent, as of a character on stage; "Derek Jacobi was Hamlet" [syn: embody, be, personify]
3: attribute human qualities to something; "The Greeks personated their gods ridiculous" [syn: personify, personate]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (-fied; -fying) Date: circa 1741 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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (-ies, -ied) 1 attribute a personal nature to (an abstraction or thing). 2 symbolize (a quality etc.) by a figure in human form. 3 (usu. as personified adj.) embody (a quality) in one's own person; exemplify typically (has always been kindness personified). Derivatives: personifier n. Etymology: F personnifier (as PERSON)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Personify Per*son"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Personified; p. pr. & vb. n. Personifying.] [Person + -fy: cf. F. personnifier.] 1. To regard, treat, or represent as a person; to represent as a rational being. The poets take the liberty of personifying inanimate things. --Chesterfield. 2. To be the embodiment or personification of; to impersonate; as, he personifies the law.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(personifies, personifying, personified) If you say that someone personifies a particular thing or quality, you mean that they seem to be a perfect example of that thing, or to have that quality to a very large degree. She seemed to personify goodness and nobility... On other occasions she can be charm personified. VERB: V n, V-ed

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Impersonate, ascribe personal qualities to.

Moby Thesaurus

adumbrate, body, body forth, corporealize, corporify, demonstrate, emblematize, embody, epitomize, exemplify, exteriorize, externalize, figure, foreshadow, humanize, illustrate, image, impersonate, incarnate, incorporate, manifest, materialize, metaphorize, mirror, objectify, personalize, personate, prefigure, pretypify, project, realize, reembody, reflect, reincarnate, represent, shadow, shadow forth, similize, stand for, substantialize, substantiate, substantify, symbolize, transmigrate, typify