anthropomorphic
4 synonyms for anthropomorphic, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Given human form, behaviour or personality, said especially of animals, objects or characters in art and stories.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use anthropomorphic
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
anthropomorphic animals
anthropomorphic figure
anthropomorphic design
anthropomorphic bias
Neutral to formal. Common in literary criticism, animation, biology and anthropology.
Etymology
From Greek anthrōpos 'human being' + morphē 'form, shape'.
Full origin of anthropomorphic →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between anthropomorphic and personification?
Personification is a figure of speech — briefly describing something non-human as if it had human qualities, as in 'the wind whispered'. Anthropomorphism goes further: the thing genuinely is human-like within the work, walking, talking and thinking, as with the animals in Wind in the Willows.
What is the difference between anthropomorphic and zoomorphic?
They run in opposite directions. Anthropomorphic gives human traits to something non-human. Zoomorphic gives animal traits to something else, including to humans or gods — an Egyptian deity with a jackal's head is zoomorphic.
Is anthropomorphism a problem in science?
It can be. Reading human motives into animal behaviour risks explaining an action by a feeling that was never demonstrated. Researchers therefore describe what an animal does before saying anything about why.
