1. to treat or regard (an abstract concept or quality) as if it were a concrete, independent thing or substance
Usage: formal; philosophy, theology
2. to give substance or independent existence to (something immaterial or abstract)
Usage: formal; theology, metaphysics

Examples

• The philosopher hypostasizes virtue as an eternal, unchanging principle rather than a human quality.
• Medieval theologians hypostasized the Trinity as three distinct persons in one substance.
• Critics argue that the theory hypostasizes consciousness, treating it as a separate entity from the brain.
• The text hypostasizes justice as a divine force operating independently in the world.
• By hypostasizing fear, the author transforms a psychological state into a character with agency.
• The doctrine hypostasizes the soul as a permanent, immaterial substance.