English Explanatory Dictionary

animate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. That lives.
  2. Possessing the quality or ability of motion.
  3. Dynamic, energetic.
  4. having a referent that is considered alive (this generally includes humans, animals and deities, sometimes also plants, spirits, etc.)
  5. Inflected to agree with an animate noun or pronoun.
verb
  1. To impart motion or the appearance of motion to.
  2. To give spirit or vigour to; to stimulate or enliven; to inspirit.

Pronunciation

ăn'ĭmət /ˈæn.ɪ.mət/ ăn'əmət /ˈæn.ə.mət/ en-us-animate-adj.ogg ăn'ĭmāt /ˈæn.ɪ.meɪt/ ăn'əmāt /ˈæn.ə.meɪt/ en-us-animate-verb.ogg /ə.nɪˈmeʈ/ /ˈæ.nɪˌmeʈ/

Word forms

animate more animate most animate animates animating animated

Etymology

From Middle English animat(e), from Latin animātus, perfect passive participle of animō (“to fill with breath, quicken, encourage, animate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Synonyms

alive living vital above ground alive and kicking alive and well animate animated extant kicking live lively livesome quick still with us surviving undeceased vitalic dynamic kinetic motile afoot astir cursory in motion mobile moving on the move on the wing under sail unstill ambulatory motive movable vagile perky vivacious active energetic abuzz agile airy brisk busy busy as a bee buxom buzzing diligent driven driving eager effervescent enthusiastic expeditious frisky gay genki glowing happy hearty

Antonyms

inanimate lifeless asleep at rest blessed cadaverous clay-cold deceased resting decomposed defunct departed expired extinct fey gone good inert kaput killed late living impaired low no longer with us no more perished reposing six feet deep six feet under stiff unalive unalived wasted whilom with God sessile static dull impassive motionless sedent sedentary stationary still stock-still torpid unmoved unmoving fixed immobile immotile immovable rigid stuck unmovable unmoveable quiescent abeyant cessant dormant

Related words

exanimate animation animatrice

Derived words

animacy animately animateness animatism animatist inanimate non-animate semianimate subanimate transitive animate interanimate reanimate animatable animated cartoon animated oat animative animatography animator animater animatrix deanimate disanimate overanimate transanimate

Translations

Albanian: frymor Arabic: عَاقِل Armenian: շնչավոր Belarusian: адушаўлёны Belarusian: жывы́ Bulgarian: одушеве́н Chinese Mandarin: 有生的 Czech: životný Danish: besjælet Dutch: bezield Finnish: elollinen French: animé German: belebt Mongolian: амьтай Polish: żywotny Portuguese: animado Russian: одушевлённый Russian: живо́й Slovene: živ Swedish: besjälad Turkish: canlı Ukrainian: живи́й Ukrainian: істо́та
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