How to Use Personification (Definition, Examples & Quiz)

What is personification?

Personification is a literary technique that assigns human-like qualities, actions, or emotions to non-human organisms, objects, and even abstract concepts.

When we describe animals, physical objects, or intangible concepts as though they possess human emotions or traits, as in, 'that's an angry storm', or 'opportunity came knocking on my door', we personify non-human things.

As a literary technique, personification bring life and animation to the world around us, and adds depth and fluidity to poetry and creative writing.

Why use personification?

Personification is a perspective through which writers can convey additional meaning and more creatively express what may appear, on the outside, as ordinary. The transference of human aspects to non-human forms, which can be any human behaviour or way of being, like thoughts, actions, emotions, attitudes, expectations, or intentions.

Whether in poetry or prose, personification helps writers create vividly imagery that can be better seen and felt. Writing, poetry, and stories can be more relatable, impactful, and memorable by personification.

For example, “We could see the sun smiling down from behind the clouds.”

Here, the sun—a celestial body—is said to be acting shyly, a distinctly human way of being and characteristic. This is how incorporating personification effectively makes writing gentler, more relatable, and playful.

10 examples of personification

Examples of personification:

The storm angrily hammered on the roof, demanding to be let inside.
The weary clock watched over the silent room, ticking away the hours in quiet resignation.
The river was rolling and tumbling over smooth stones, carefree in its way.
The city lights winked mischievously at the onset of the night.
The pages of the old diary whispered dark secrets as they turned.
The car coughed and sputtered to life.
The grass was swaying back and forth, as though it were in a waltz with the wind.
The dilapidated house frowned and gnarled at the passersby.
The tired old cabin appeared as if it slumped under its own weight.
The stubborn door refused to let anyone pass.

Each of these examples demonstrates how non-human things—weather, objects, places—can be endowed with human actions, feelings, or intentions to make a scene more vivid and emotionally engaging.

Personification in daily life and conversation

Personification isn’t just for novelists and poets; it appears constantly in everyday language. Without realizing it, people use personification to communicate ideas more effectively, or simply to add humour and personality to their speech.

Common expressions include:

“My phone doesn’t want to cooperate today.”
“The traffic crawled along the highway.”
“Time flies when you’re having fun.”
“The last piece of cake was calling my name.”
“The stars danced in the midnight sky.”

These phrases make use of personification to add colour and energy to ordinary conversation.

Personification in poetry

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth

Wordsworths' classic sonnet written in 1802 describes London and the River Thames from the viewpoint of Westminster Bridge in the early morning.

Earth has not any thing to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

Personification is prominent in Wordsworths' poem: This City now doth, like a garment, wear; The beauty of the morning; silent, bare...

Wordsworths' depiction of London, the city wears 'the beauty of the morning', as if the morning were clothes and cities wore clothes (the rhyme is coincidental).

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge uses numerous literary devices and techniques, but it would not be the poem it is without the inclusion of personification.

Mowingby Robert Frost

There was never a sound beside the wood but one,
And that was my long scythe whispering to the ground.
What was it it whispered? I knew not well myself;
Perhaps it was something about the heat of the sun,
Something, perhaps, about the lack of sound—
And that was why it whispered and did not speak.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson

The abstract concept, hope, is depicted as if it were a bird, and “perches in the soul”—

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

Personification in literature

In Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18,” the speaker describes the summer’s lease as having “all too short a date,” giving time a human trait: the capacity to own something and watch it expire.
In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the city is described as “rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps,” suggesting intent and motion.
In Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline,” the house is described as “waiting for her to come home,” making the setting itself a character.

Even nonfiction memoirs and essays utilize personification. For example, "the past clings to me like a stubborn shadow”; this sentence makes an abstract concept—memory—feel tangible and almost sentient.

Personification and other literary devices

Personification often works in harmony with other literary devices, such as metaphor and simile, to add further depth and meaning to writing.

Personification with metaphor: “The fog crept into the city, wrapping itself around every corner.” Here, personification is paired with metaphor to create a sense of the fog as a living, moving entity.

Personification with simile: “The thunder roared like an angry lion, shaking the windows with its fury.” Here, both personification and simile work together to amplify the storm's impact.

Writers often blend personification with other techniques to add more nuance and make writing more provocative.

Personification vs. anthropomorphism

Both involve giving human traits to nonhuman things. However, they are notably distinct:

Personification is usually metaphorical and brief; it gives an object or idea human qualities for descriptive effect.
Anthropomorphism goes further, treating nonhuman things as if they were truly human—often with sustained behavior, speech, and personality. Examples of anthropomorphism include characters like Daffy Duck, SpongeBob SquarePants, or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Personification Example: “The moon smiled down on the lovers.” The moon isn’t actually smiling; the description is metaphorical.

Anthropomorphism Example: In stories like “Winnie the Pooh,” animals talk, wear clothes, and have human relationships. These characters aren’t just described as human—they behave as humans do, consistently throughout the work.

Quick Comparison Table:

{% table %}

Personification
Anthropomorphism

Metaphorical, brief
Literal, sustained

Used for imagery
Used for character or plot

“The wind whispered”
“The wind gets angry and talks to the trees”

Common in poetry and prose
Common in fables, cartoons, and children’s literature {% /table %}

Personification is about making descriptions more relatable. Anthropomorphism is about creating fully human-like characters out of nonhuman entities.

Why use personification?

Personification is used for several reasons:

To create vivid imagery: By assigning human traits to things, writers can paint pictures that are easier for readers to imagine.
To evoke emotion: When a non-human element expresses a feeling or intention, readers may connect to it on a more personal level.
To set the mood: The tone of a scene can be influenced by the way objects or elements behave. For example, “The wind howled in protest” suggests tension or unrest.
To add drama or suspense: Personification can heighten the stakes in a story, making settings or situations feel active and alive.
To simplify complex ideas: Abstract concepts like love, death, or hope can be made more accessible through personification.