embody
verb
Simple meaning
Represent or express something abstract in tangible form.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihmbahdeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪmˈbɑdi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Represent or express something abstract in tangible form
“This painting embodies the feelings of the Romantic period.”
transitive
To represent in a physical or concrete form; to incarnate or personify.
Represent in bodily form
“He embodies all that is evil wrong with the system.”
transitive
To represent in some other form, such as a code of laws.
transitive
To comprise or include as part of a cohesive whole; to be made up of.
intransitive
To unite in a body or mass.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Represent or express something abstract in tangible form
Used this way, embody is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“This painting embodies the feelings of the Romantic period.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- be , more formal, and heavier in everyday conversation
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A new personification of a familiar idea.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: represent or express something abstract in tangible form
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “embody” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.