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
Samara Gerstle, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2025
As for the name, Henrietta is a personification of a character that Charity and Worthington view as the ideal dinner party host.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 12 June 2025
The show presents surfing as a balance between surrendering to nature while conquering a wave, a push-pull dynamic that can only work in equilibrium, and McNamara has been a compelling personification of that, someone who trains and strives and competes to maintain sangfroid.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 May 2025
There’s Nick Birch (a stand-in for teenage Kroll), and then there’s Maury the Hormone Monster (a personification of Kroll’s teenage urges).
—Nick Kroll, Air Mail, 17 May 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 Jul. 2025.
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personification
noun
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