noun
- the attribution of human emotions, passions, or characteristics to God or to non-human things
Usage: formal; theology; literary criticism
Examples
- The poet's use of anthropopathism gave the storm a sense of anger and vengeance.
- In religious texts, anthropopathism describes God's wrath and mercy as human-like emotions.
- Critics debated whether the author's anthropopathism—portraying nature as jealous—was effective or overwrought.
- Anthropopathism differs from anthropomorphism in that it focuses specifically on emotional and passionate attributes.
- Medieval theologians grappled with anthropopathism when interpreting biblical descriptions of God's feelings.