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anthropomorphically

anthropomorphically

1 9.1
In a way that makes animals or things seem human
  • adverb
  • /ˌænθrəpəˈmɔrfɪkli/
  • Specialized
: antropomórficamente
  • It's not even that once God has decided to make humans a certain way, that He is required to stick with it (though we might anthropomorphically sometimes talk that way); it is that His decision in the first place spans across all times.

Examples

  • It is only natural, then, that we perceive the universe anthropomorphically.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Indeed, the very idea of representing the Buddha anthropomorphically was ascribed to the impact of "the mysteriously transmitted Grecian touch." (n143)

    Academic text (2002)
  • In many children's stories, animals speak and act anthropomorphically, making them relatable to young readers.

  • The movie portrayed the robot anthropomorphically, giving it emotions and human-like expressions.

  • Artists often depict nature anthropomorphically, illustrating trees and rivers as characters with feelings.

How Human

humanly
38 4.2
anthropomorphically
  • Specialized
1 9.1
figuratively
33 4.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

anthropomorphically = anthropomorphic (semi-transparent) = anthropo + morph + ic + ally

Forming the adverb from the adjective 'anthropomorphic' with the standard '-ally' adverbial suffix is regular and directly conveys 'in an anthropomorphic way'.

Etymology

Anthropomorphically comes from Greek parts anthropo- meaning 'human' and -morph meaning 'shape', as in the word metamorphosis which means a change of shape. So to act anthropomorphically is to give animals, objects, or ideas human form or human actions, which is why a smiling cloud or a talking animal feels like a person.