Anthropomorphism is from the Greek [ anthropos] meaning human, and [ morphe] which means form. It is the doctrine of ascribing human form or human attributes to a deity. In Christianity it is when people ascribe human features like hands, legs, feet, or other such human characteristics, to God. [ back

ascription of human feelings or traits to nonhuman beings or entities

( AN·thro·po·MOR·phism). The attribution of human characteristics, e.g., hands, feet, emotions, and the like, to nonhuman beings or objects. People often use anthropomorphic terms to describe God. For most people to not do so relegates God to ethereal terms hard to understand. But does God have form and shape? These are anthropomorphic terms. Christians divide over this issue some viewing the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament in more literal terms and others in metaphoric terms.

is ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman and possibly nonexistent beings. The most common form of anthropomorphism is supposing that animals, such as pets, feel and think as human beings do.

The attributing of human form, behaviour or characteristics to non-human beings, especially God.

the tendency in animated films to give creatures or objects human qualities, abilities, and characteristics.

The representation of a non-human as a human. God in the earlier parts of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) is described in human terms, as having a body. Sometimes anthropomorphism is extended to animals who are assumed to have human feelings.

the projection of human attributes onto nonhuman things.

The process of labeling animal behavior using terms that apply to human behavior.

embuing machines (especially computers) with human capabilities or responsibilities

Ascribing of human behaviour, form, etc. to what is not human.

order by term] level: Introductory (1) The attributing of human characteristics to a divine being, an animal, or an object.

level: Introductory (1) [ order by level] The attributing of human characteristics to a divine being, an animal, or an object.

the representation of objects (especially a god) as having human form or traits

a figurative description of God using physical parts of a man, such as the eyes of God or the arm of God

a way of speaking about God, as if he had human form or attributes

Ascribing human characteristics to other animals or inanimate objects.

the representation of non-human beings as having human form, emotions, and motivations, the use of human iconography to represent the divine.

Ascribing human characteristics to non-humans, eg happy, jealous or neurotic personality attributes to animals, cars or computers.

the ascription of human characteristics or motives to inanimate objects, natural phenomena, or supernatural things. Many major religious systems -- among them Judaism and Christianity -- share anthropomorphic qualities. An example is the belief that human beings are "made in God's image," or that God is a personal deity sensitive and responsive to human need and pain, or more commonly, that God is an elderly man with a long gray beard sitting somewhere in the sky on his celestial throne.

ascribing human form or qualities to beings or things.

Attributing human qualities or form, to animals or things. Creating a god in man's image.

ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing that is not human.

The ascription to God of human anatomy such as hands, arms, eyes, etc.

Assigning human qualities and traits to non-human animals. Because most of us were nurtured on programs like Walt Disney, many of us grew up believing that wild animals have human thoughts, feelings, and emotions. In reality, they don't. To say that: "My Purple Martins feel sad when it's time to migrate back to Brazil" is to speak anthropomorphically. Still, many martin landlords enjoy their martins primarily because they perceive the natural world in an anthropomorphic way.

The endowing of nonhuman objects or forces with human characteristics.

Giving human attributs to things other than people.

Anthropomorphism is a figure of speech that adopts human characteristics to nonhuman entities. Example:“the hand of God

The use of human characteristics to describe God; for example, the attribution of human emotions and human body parts to God. This is usually considered to be symbolic or figurative language to aid man in understanding the nature of God.

giving human-like characteristics to animals An anthropomorphism is saying that a rabbit cried tears of sadness.

The attribution of human feelings to animals or inanimate objects e.g. Hawk Roosting by Ted Hughes. See also personification.

The presentation of animals or objects in human shape or with human characteristics. The term is derived from the Greek word for "human form." The Fable s of Aesop, the animated films of Walt Disney, and Richard Adams's Watership Down feature anthropomorphic character s. (Compare with Personification.)

The idea that ascribes to God, or a god, the characteristics of a human being.

Giving human-like thinking and talking abilities to non-humans.

belief that deities have human form.

To impute human characteristics to the non-human realm. To think of a storm a being angry, for instance, is to take an anthropomorphic attitude with respect to the storm. Watson here is concerned with imputing human conscious states to animals, a "mistake" warned against by the English zoologist and psychologist C. Lloyd Morgan (1852-1936) in his famous canon: "In no case may we interpret an action as the outcome of a higher psychical faculty, if it can be interpreted as the outcome of one which stands lower on the psychological scale (1894, An Introduction to Comparative Psychology). Morgan also invented the term "trial-and-error learning" and was a key advocate of "emergentism" with respect to mental phenomena.

( adj. anthropomorphic) A Greek term for the attribution of human behavior or characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, natural phenomena, or deity; with regard to deity, anthropomorphism became a point of theological discussion in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. See Part 1.

The tendency to ascribe human features (such as hands or arms) or other human characteristics to God.

The act of ascribing human characteristics to non-humans (especially to God).

the giving of human attributes to abstract conceptions, especially in reference to divinity; e.g., the imaging of a god in the familiar shape of a human being in visual arts, in the mind, etc.

attributing human characteristics to half-human half-animal characters

Anthropomorphism, also called personification, is the attribution of human characteristics and qualities to nonhuman beings, inanimate objects, or natural or supernatural phenomena. A form of personification (applying human or animal qualities to inanimate objects), anthropomorphism is similar to prosopopoeia (adopting the persona of another person). Animals, forces of nature, and unseen or unknown sources of chance are frequent subjects of anthropomorphosis.