personification

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who represents an abstract quality

   The twins are the personification of optimism.

2. 2
   noun

   A person, thing, or name typifying a certain quality or idea; an embodiment or exemplification.

   Adolf Hitler was the personification of anti-Semitism.

3. 3
   noun

   An artistic representation of an abstract quality as a human.

   The Grim Reaper is a personification of death.

4. 4
   noun

   The process of creating such a representation: a literary device or other artistic method in which an inanimate object or an idea is given human qualities.

   You might search in vain if you go looking for personification in his works: his style was very concrete.

5. 5
   noun

   the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.

6. 6
   noun

   representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature

Etymology

From person(ify) + -ification.