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animate

adjective
anĀ·​iĀ·​mate | \ Ėˆa-nə-mət How to pronounce animate (audio) \

Definition of animate

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : possessing or characterized by life : alive
2 : full of life : animated
3 : of or relating to animal life as opposed to plant life
4 : referring to a living thing an animate noun

animate

verb
anĀ·​iĀ·​mate | \ -ĖŒmāt How to pronounce animate (audio) \
animated; animating

Definition of animate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to give spirit and support to : encourage
2a : to give life to
b : to give vigor and zest to
3 : to move to action a criminal animated by greed
4a : to make or design in such a way as to create apparently spontaneous lifelike movement animate a cartoon
b : to produce in the form of an animated cartoon animate a story
Other Words from animate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about animate

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Other Words from animate

Adjective

animately adverb
animateness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for animate

Verb

quicken, animate, enliven, vivify mean to make alive or lively. quicken stresses a sudden renewal of life or activity especially in something inert. the arrival of spring quickens the earth animate emphasizes the imparting of motion or vitality to what is or might be mechanical or artificial. happiness animated his conversation enliven suggests a stimulus that arouses from dullness or torpidity. enlivened her lectures with humorous anecdotes vivify implies a freshening or energizing through renewal of vitality. new blood needed to vivify the dying club

Did You Know?

The Latin word anima meaning ā€œbreath, soulā€ that gave us ā€œanimalā€ has given us other words. The English adjective animate meaning ā€œaliveā€ comes from the Latin verb animare, meaning ā€œto give life to,ā€ which in turn came from anima. A characteristic of animals is their ability to move. When a cartoon is drawn and filmed in such a way that lifelike movement is produced, it is animated. An animated film seems to have a life of its own.

Examples of animate in a Sentence

Adjective

 The lecture was about ancient worship of animate and inanimate objects. an animate dance routine that will really get the blood pumping

Verb

 The writer's humor animates the novel. The film's very realistic dinosaurs were animated on computers.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

 Both distinguish between an animate direct object and an inanimate one. —

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