apostrophize: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2/RareLiterary, Rhetorical, Formal
Quick answer
What does “apostrophize” mean?
To address an absent or imaginary person, a thing, or an abstract quality in a speech or writing.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To address an absent or imaginary person, a thing, or an abstract quality in a speech or writing.
To speak or write using the rhetorical device of apostrophe; to pause and directly address someone or something not literally present.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. The '-ize' spelling is standard in US English and common in UK English, though '-ise' ('apostrophise') is a UK variant.
Connotations
Equally literary and formal in both dialects.
Frequency
Extremely rare in everyday speech in both regions, confined to academic or artistic discourse.
Grammar
How to Use “apostrophize” in a Sentence
[Subject] apostrophizes [Object (person/abstraction)][Subject] apostrophizes to [Object]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “apostrophize” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- In his soliloquy, Hamlet famously apostrophises the skull of Yorick.
- The Victorian poet would often apostrophise the concept of Liberty as a goddess.
American English
- The activist's speech apostrophized future generations, urging them to learn from our mistakes.
- In the epic, the hero apostrophizes his broken sword, thanking it for its service.
adjective
British English
- The apostrophizing passage in the ode stood out for its emotional intensity.
- Her apostrophising tone felt out of place in the technical report.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in literary analysis, rhetoric, and classical studies to describe a textual technique.
Everyday
Extremely uncommon.
Technical
A precise term in the technical vocabulary of literary criticism.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “apostrophize”
- Using it to mean 'to shorten a word with an apostrophe' (that is 'to contract').
- Using it intransitively without an object (e.g., 'He apostrophized about justice' is weak; prefer 'He apostrophized justice').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but indirectly. Both derive from the Greek 'apostrophos' meaning 'turning away'. The punctuation mark 'turns away' letters (in contractions), while the rhetorical device 'turns away' from the audience to address something else.
It would sound highly unusual and pretentious. It is a specialist term for discussing literature, speechwriting, or rhetoric.
The related noun is 'apostrophe', referring to the rhetorical device itself. Example: 'The poem's use of apostrophe is striking.'
To 'apostrophize' is to *address* something as if it were present and could listen. To 'personify' is to *attribute human characteristics* to something. You can apostrophize something without personifying it (e.g., addressing 'Death' as an abstract force), and you can personify something without apostrophizing it (e.g., describing a storm as 'angry' without speaking to it directly).
To address an absent or imaginary person, a thing, or an abstract quality in a speech or writing.
Apostrophize is usually literary, rhetorical, formal in register.
Apostrophize: in British English it is pronounced /əˈpɒstrəfaɪz/, and in American English it is pronounced /əˈpɑːstrəfaɪz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific; the word itself describes a figurative device.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of APOSTROPHE (the punctuation ') which shows something is missing (like in 'don't'). To APOSTROPHIZE is to speak to something missing or abstract.
Conceptual Metaphor
SPEECH IS A JOURNEY TO AN ABSENT DESTINATION; LANGUAGE CAN BRING THE INANIMATE TO LIFE.
Practice
Quiz
In which of the following contexts is the verb 'to apostrophize' most appropriately used?