Personification Meaning
/pɚˌsɑ.nə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA person, thing, or name typifying a certain quality or idea; an embodiment or exemplification.
nounAn artistic representation of an abstract quality as a human.
Sentence Examples
He is the personification of selfishness.
Copernicus turned from a person into a personification.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the poem, the ____ of death as a friendly man reduces fear.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poem used ____ to give the wind a voice and the river a sense of longing.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English person(ify) English -ification English personification From person(ify) + -ification.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He might have sat for a personification of fear: if he moved, he seemed rather afraid of his own shadow following him too closely; if he laughed, he soon checked himself, quite alarmed at the sound."
— 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Publishing”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 12:
"De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?"
— 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 52:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the poem, the ____ of death as a friendly man reduces fear.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The poem used ____ to give the wind a voice and the river a sense of longing.