What does anthropomorphic mean?
Anthropomorphic is an adjective describing the attribution of human form, qualities, or emotions to things that are not human. It applies across a wide range of contexts: talking animals in children's books and animated films, deities imagined with human bodies and personalities, personified forces such as Father Time, and even everyday speech that treats computers or cars as if they had moods. The word derives from Greek roots combining anthrōpos (human being) with morphē (form), literally suggesting 'human-shaped'. Its use is generally neutral, though in theology it can carry a critical edge when divine beings are described in merely human terms. Closely related words include the noun anthropomorphism, which names the practice itself, and the verb anthropomorphize, which describes the act. Understanding anthropomorphic helps readers discuss fables, mythology, art criticism, and popular culture with precision, since so much storytelling depends on lending human character to the non-human world.
adjectiveDescribing something non-human — an animal, object, deity, or force of nature — as having human form, characteristics, or emotions. The term is most often applied to fictional characters or artistic depictions that attribute human traits to non-human entities.
- Attributing human form, personality, emotions, or behavior to animals, gods, objects, or natural phenomena.
- Depicting or conceiving of a deity in human shape or with human attributes.
"The film's anthropomorphic fox wears a suit, drives a car, and cracks jokes like any human detective."
"Children's literature is full of anthropomorphic animals, from Peter Rabbit to the Cheshire Cat."
"Ancient Greek religion was notably anthropomorphic, portraying its gods with human bodies and all-too-human tempers."
The word comes from Greek roots meaning 'human-shaped' — the same root that gives us 'anthropology', the study of humans themselves.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphic derives from Greek anthrōpos ('human being') combined with morphē ('form, shape'), via the adjective-forming suffix -ic. The underlying notion entered European learned vocabulary through Latinized Greek compounds such as anthropomorphus, used in early modern theological debate about whether God could be described in bodily, human terms. English usage of the adjective became established by the seventeenth century and broadened over time from strictly religious contexts to cover literature, art, and psychology. It shares its Greek root with words such as anthropology, anthropocentric, and philanthropy.
Related word forms
How anthropomorphic is actually used
Neutral to scholarly in register; common in literary criticism, religious studies, and discussions of animation and children's fiction. In theology and philosophy, describing God as anthropomorphic is sometimes used critically, implying the depiction reduces the divine to human terms.
Easily confused with anthropomorphic
Zoomorphic describes humans or objects given animal forms or traits, the reverse of anthropomorphic, which gives human traits to non-humans.
Anthropocentric means regarding humans as the central or most significant element of the world, whereas anthropomorphic means attributing human form or qualities to non-human things.