1. treated or regarded (an abstract concept or quality) as if it were a concrete, independent thing or substance
Usage: formal; philosophy, theology

Examples

• The philosopher hypostasized beauty as an eternal, unchanging form.
• Medieval theologians hypostasized the soul as a distinct substance separate from the body.
• Critics argued that the theory hypostasized social forces that were merely descriptive categories.
• By hypostasizing fear as an independent entity, the author gave it more power than it deserved.
• The text hypostasized justice into a personified figure that could reward or punish.
• Linguists warned against hypostasizing language as a fixed system rather than a dynamic process.