What Is Personification in Writing?

Personification is when you assign human traits to something nonhuman. In writing, it’s a literary technique using figurative language to bring the text to life. If you’d like to learn more about personification and how you can use it in your work, check out our guide below.

Personification as a Writing Technique

Personification is a form of metaphor. A metaphor describes one thing as being like something else by stating that it literally is that thing (e.g., This student is a star).

With personification, you describe nonhuman things using words we’d typically reserve for writing about people. For example:

You might hear expressions like this all the time without even giving them a second thought, but technically, a book’s cover can’t speak. In this sentence, the writer uses personification to apply the human ability of speech to an inanimate object.

Different Ways to Use Personification

Personification is a fun technique because its possibilities are virtually limitless. It can take many forms, including being used with an adjective:

… a verb:

… or a noun:

Using the Word Personification

You can also use the word itself, personification, to personify something. Meta, right? Stating that something is the personification of something else means that someone or something embodies an entire concept:

As you can see, personification takes on a broader meaning here because you can apply it to both humans and nonhumans.

Famous Examples of Personification

Artists have used personification in literature, poetry, and music throughout history. Take this example from Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart:

Here, death is personified; it stalked its victim. Or take this example from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet:

Here, Romeo personifies both the sun and the moon by directing the sun to kill the moon and describing the moon as having human feelings, such as envy and grief.

Summary: Personification in Writing

Personification is a powerful technique in writing, and once you get the hang of using it, you’ll likely find that it’s a fun and limitless way to add life and feeling to your work.

We hope you give it a try! And once you do, make sure you send a copy of your work our way. We’d love to see what you come up with, and we’ll ensure your writing is free of any errors. Try it out today at no cost.

Personification FAQs

What is personification?

Personification is the attribution of human characteristics to something nonhuman. The term can also mean the embodiment of a trait.

How do you use personification?

You can apply personification by describing objects or animals using words reserved for describing human qualities or actions.