personification

noun

pər-ˌsä-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce personification (audio)
Definition of personificationnext
as in manifestation
a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality) he's the personification of kindness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of personification And that movie was really the personification of that feeling for me. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Instead, his deity might be better understood as a personification of the source of energeia—the furthest horizon of fulfilment towards which all potential forms in the universe strive. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 Commander Chancellor Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) returns to educate the next generation of cadets, with Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) becoming the personification of Ake’s attempt to fix a mistake from her past. — Matt Minton, Variety, 25 July 2026 Industry is where innocence goes to die, choked out in bed by various personifications of greed. — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for personification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personification
  1. manifestation
  2. incarnation
  3. image
Noun
  • Turns out, Shakespeare didn’t have to decide, because the story works equally well whether the reader believes the figure is ectoplasm in the castle courtyard or is a psychological manifestation of Hamlet’s nagging conscience.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The demonstrations became a more widespread manifestation of anger and anxiety about education, employment, and general livelihood issues.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of manifestation
Noun
  • Most of these programs did not have physical forms in their original MCU incarnations, but appear in human form within the world inside Vision’s mind.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • At the Zurich conference, Mayer noted that CoComelon‘s Netflix incarnation was the streamer’s most popular title from 2021-2024.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of incarnation
Noun
  • The image is then precision-fabricated into a 3D model that’s finished by hand — all for $2,200, about the national average of an actual wedding gown.
    — Ari Stark, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • This sort of puzzling connection between text and image is repeated throughout the exhibition.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of image

Browse Nearby Words

personators
personification
personifications
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Cite this Entry

“Personification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personification. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on personification

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about personification

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