corporealize

The artist sought to corporealize her dream in a sculpture.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To give physical form or substance to something abstract: "corporealize" means to make something that is not physical (such as an idea, spirit, or concept) become tangible, concrete, or material.
   • To embody or realize in a bodily or material form: It involves translating an intangible notion into a visible, touchable, or perceptible reality.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The artist sought to corporealize the emotion of joy in her marble sculpture. (To give a physical, tangible shape to an abstract feeling.)
  • In the myth, the god could corporealize himself as a mortal to walk among humans. (To take on a bodily form.)
  • The architect tried to corporealize the concept of "freedom" in the design of the open plaza. (To make an abstract idea concrete through physical structure.)

Advanced Usage

• "to corporealize a theory": to create a physical model or representation of a theoretical idea.

  • The physicist used a computer simulation to corporealize the abstract equations of quantum mechanics. (To make a theoretical concept observable or tangible.)

• "to corporealize a spirit": in spiritual or literary contexts, to give a ghost or ethereal being a physical body.

  • The séance attempted to corporealize the spirit of the deceased. (To make an immaterial entity appear in a physical form.)

Variants and Related Words

• Corporealization (n): the process or result of making something physical or material.

  • The corporealization of the dream into a building took ten years. (The act of making a dream become real and tangible.)

• Corporeal (adj): relating to the physical body; material rather than spiritual.

  • The ghost had no corporeal form. (The ghost lacked a physical body.)

• Incorporeal (adj): lacking physical substance; intangible.

  • Incorporeal beings like angels are said to be invisible. (Beings without a body.)

Synonyms

• Materialize: to become actual or real; to appear in physical form.
• Embody: to give a tangible or visible form to an idea or quality.
• Concretize: to make something abstract into a concrete, specific form.
• Realize: to bring something into existence or make it real.

Antonyms

• Disembody: to separate from a physical body.
• Abstract: to consider something apart from concrete reality.
• Spiritualize: to make something more spiritual or less material.

Related Idioms

• "Give flesh and blood to": to make something abstract become real or vivid.

  • The novel gives flesh and blood to the historical figures of the revolution. (The novel makes them seem alive and real.)

• "Take shape": to begin to have a clear, definite form.

  • His plan for a new business began to corporealize and take shape. (The plan became concrete and specific.)