Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

personify

/pə(ɹ)ˈsɒnɪfaɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.21 in modern English

Syllables: per-son-i-fy
IPA: /pə(ɹ)ˈsɒnɪfaɪ/

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

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

Transitive verb

verb

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

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Mozart could be said to personify musical genius."
"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.""

Etymology

From person + -ify, after French personnifier.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: personnifier
Suffix: person

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

personifies (present, singular) personifying (participle, present) personified (participle, past) personified (past)

Derived Forms

dispersonify personifiable personifier unpersonified

Frequently Paired Words

personification

Synonyms

embody personate be body

Antonyms

unpersonify

Questions

How do you pronounce personify?: The recorded pronunciation is /pə(ɹ)ˈsɒnɪfaɪ/.
What does personify mean?: To be an example of; to have all the attributes of.
Where does personify come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce personify

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “personify”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pə(ɹ)ˈsɒnɪfaɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “personify”.
Repeat and practice — Say “personify” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.