personify

CEFRB2

/pə(ɹ)ˈsɒnɪfaɪ/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To represent an idea or quality as a person.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To create a representation of (an abstract quality) in the form of a character or persona.

Examples

  • Yanni and Skura personify happiness and success.

  • Mozart could be said to personify musical genius.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To be an example of; to have all the attributes of.

More examples

In context

  • The writer personified death in the form of the Grim Reaper.

  • If ever any of the girls had taken a fancy to personify their good genius, they would certainly have given to his image all they remembered of "Uncle Frank."

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Artists often blank abstract ideas like hope or fear in their paintings.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From French personnifier. By surface analysis, person + -ify or person(a) + -ify.