Personify

Pronunciation: /ˈpɝːsənəˌfaɪ/

Definitions of personify

verb to attribute human qualities or characteristics to something that is not human

Example Sentences

A1 Animals in children's books often personify human emotions.

A2 In the story, the talking animals personify different character traits.

B1 The author uses the wind to personify the feeling of freedom.

B2 The artist's paintings often personify nature in a unique way.

C1 The poet's words beautifully personify the struggles of the working class.

C2 The novel expertly personifies the complexities of human relationships.

Examples of personify in a Sentence

formal The author used literary devices to personify the wind in the poem.

informal In the movie, the talking animals seem to personify human characteristics.

slang The way she dances on stage really personifies confidence.

figurative The old oak tree seemed to personify wisdom and strength in the forest.

Grammatical Forms of personify

• past tense: personified
• plural: personifies
• comparative: more personified
• superlative: most personified
• present tense: personifies
• future tense: will personify
• perfect tense: has personified
• continuous tense: is personifying
• singular: personifies
• positive degree: personify
• infinitive: to personify
• gerund: personifying
• participle: personifying

Origin and Evolution of personify

First Known Use: 1728 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'personify' originates from the Latin word 'personificare', which is a combination of 'persona' meaning 'person' and 'facere' meaning 'to make'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in the context of giving human characteristics to non-human entities, the word 'personify' has evolved to also mean embodying or representing a quality or concept in human form.