What does "personate" mean?
To fraudulently portray another person; to impersonate.
Personate
adj, verb
adj, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To fraudulently portray another person; to impersonate.
- Grammar: personate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: impersonate, act, act a part, act as.
- Usage evidence: But this latter has, at the suggestion of Tyndarus, exchanged clothes with him, and the slave[…] personates the master.
How to use "personate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "personate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "personate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "personate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "personate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "personate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "impersonate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "personate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To fraudulently portray another person; to impersonate. transitive
"But this latter has, at the suggestion of Tyndarus, exchanged clothes with him, and the slave[…] personates the master."
- 2 To celebrate loudly; to extol, to praise. obsolete, transitive
"I vvill drop in his vvay ſome obſcure Epiſtles of loue, vvherein by the colour of his beard, the ſhape of his legge, the manner of his gate, the expreſſure of his eye, forehead, and complection, he ſhall finde himſelfe moſt feelingly perſonated."
- 3 attribute human qualities to something wordnet
- 4 To portray a character (as in a play); to act. transitive
"The antients would certainly have invoked the goddess Flora for this purpose, and it would have been no difficulty for their priests, or politicians to have persuaded the people of the real presence of the deity, though a plain mortal had personated her and performed her office."
- 5 pretend to be someone you are not; sometimes with fraudulent intentions wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To attribute personal characteristics to something; to personify. transitive
"One do I personate of Timon's frame , Whom Fortune with her iv'ry hand wafts to her"
- 7 To set forth in an unreal character; to disguise; to mask. transitive
"a personated mate"
Adjective
- 1 Having the throat of a corolla nearly closed by a projection of the base of the lower lip (reminiscent of a mask), as in the flower of the snapdragon. not-comparable, uncommon
"This arrangement is well typified in plants with a personate corolla, such as the toad-flax and snap-dragon, ..."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"But this latter has, at the suggestion of Tyndarus, exchanged clothes with him, and the slave[…] personates the master."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "personate"?
Common synonyms include: impersonate, act, act a part, act as, act out, adumbrate.
How do you use "personate" in a sentence?
But this latter has, at the suggestion of Tyndarus, exchanged clothes with him, and the slave[…] personates the master.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Latin persōnātus.
Etymology 2
From Latin personō (“cry out”).