personification
Other forms: personifications
Personification means "giving human qualities to an abstract idea," as in a movie villain who is the personification of evil.
You can use the noun personification in two ways. In the first, a person who is known for a certain quality, like wisdom, is said to represent that quality in a way any can understand, like a patient, generous person who is the personification of kindness. On the other hand, personification can give human qualities to something that isn’t human. For example, you might say, “The sea is angry,” assigning it a human emotion.
-
the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.synonyms: incarnationtype of:embodimentgiving concrete form to an abstract concept
-
representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creaturesynonyms: prosopopoeia
-
a person who represents an abstract quality“she is the personification of optimism”types:queensomething personified as a woman who is considered the best or most important of her kinddeificationan embodiment of the qualities of a godreincarnationembodiment in a new form (especially the reappearance or a person in another form)
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing personification
One of the stumbling blocks when trying to study poetry is that it seems like a different world. Familiar things, like words, are put to unfamiliar use, and there is an entire descriptive vocabulary that is completely foreign and quite often puzzling. This list seeks to explain the words used to describe poetry through examples from famous poems. Nassim Nicholas Taleb said, "If you want to annoy a poet, explain his poetry," but we are willing to take that risk to make the world of literary analysis a little clearer and further illuminate the mystery of poetry.
If you want to understand the tools and techniques that great writers use, learn these literary devices and figures of speech. Review this vocabulary list and you'll be a master of metaphor, an expert on euphemism, and a pro at puns.
To improve your fluency in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), learn this academic vocabulary list that includes words selected from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards.