animal

noun

an·i·mal | \ ˈa-nə-məl

Essential Meaning of animal

1 : a living thing that is not a human being or plant people and animals the animals in the zoo See More Examplesthe plants and animals of the forest She loves all kinds of animals. pigs, chickens, and other farm animals [=animals that live on a farm]Hide

2 : any living thing that is not a plant Fish, birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, and human beings are all animals. Dogs, like humans, are social animals. [=animals that live in groups] studying the habits of the human animal [=the habits of human beings; the habits of people in general]

3 : a person who behaves in a wild, aggressive, or unpleasant way He's a real animal. You're all behaving like a bunch of animals.

Full Definition of animal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : any of a kingdom (Animalia) of living things including many-celled organisms and often many of the single-celled ones (such as protozoans) that typically differ from plants in having cells without cellulose walls, in lacking chlorophyll and the capacity for photosynthesis, in requiring more complex food materials (such as proteins), in being organized to a greater degree of complexity, and in having the capacity for spontaneous movement and rapid motor responses to stimulation

2a : one of the lower animals (see lower entry 3 sense 3) as distinguished from human beings

b : mammal broadly : vertebrate

3 : a human being considered chiefly as physical or nonrational also : this nature

4 : a person with a particular interest or aptitude a political animal He's a party animal.

5 : matter, thing the theater … is an entirely different animal— Arthur Miller also : creature sense 1c

animal

adjective

Definition of animal (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, resembling, or derived from animals animal instincts animal behavior

2a : of or relating to the physical or sentient as contrasted with the intellectual or rational

b : sensual, fleshly indulged his animal appetites

3 : of or relating to the animal pole of an egg or to the part from which ectoderm normally develops

Other Words from animal Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did you know? More Example Sentences Learn More About animal

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Other Words from animal

Noun

animallike \ ˈa-nə-mə(l)-ˌlīk

\ adjective

Adjective

animally \ ˈa-nə-mə-lē

\ adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for animal

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for animal

Adjective

carnal, fleshly, sensual, animal mean having a relation to the body. carnal may mean only this but more often connotes derogatorily an action or manifestation of a person's lower nature. gave in to carnal desires fleshly is less derogatory than carnal. a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations sensual may apply to any gratification of a bodily desire or pleasure but commonly implies sexual appetite with absence of the spiritual or intellectual. fleshpots providing sensual delights animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person. led a mindless animal existence

Examples of animal in a Sentence

Noun the animals in the zoo the plants and animals of the forest She loves all kinds of animals. Fish, birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, and human beings are all animals. You're all behaving like a bunch of animals. Adjective several different plant and animal species milk, meat, and other animal products People were shocked by the animal brutality of the attack.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Throughout the assortment, prints reference a black king cheetah to embody the spirit of the rare and beautiful animal delivering bold, classic looks. — Greg Emmanuel, Essence, 26 Aug. 2021 This research is the first time scientists have found evidence of an animal whose ability to remember specific events doesn’t deteriorate with age. — Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Aug. 2021 And now, several high-profile openings and reopenings are in the works sans animal products, signaling a change in establishment chefs’ priorities in tune with consumer preferences for health and the environment. — Alyson Sheppard, Robb Report, 24 July 2021 All of Earth Grown's products are free from animal products including meat, poultry and seafood. — Stefani Sassos, Ms, Rdn, Cso, Cdn, Nasm-cpt, Good Housekeeping, 21 July 2021 All Obakki skincare products feature 100% all-natural ingredients and never contain palm oils, artificial fragrance or colourants, parabens, sulfates, or animal products. — Joseph Deacetis, Forbes, 5 July 2021 One popular animal trail winds along Rose Creek, running through North Pacific Beach and emptying into Mission Bay by Campland on the Bay. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2021 Saint Boy had reportedly refused to jump or trot and Annika struggled to gain control of the animal. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, 16 Aug. 2021 This is due to the natural gaunt physique of the animal. — Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Aug. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The new study took place as part of the Palaeodeserts Project, which seeks to track human and animal migration across the Arabian Peninsula. — Isis Davis-marks, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Aug. 2021 For this site, experts on skeletal analysis described and measured the human and animal bones recovered, before ISIS destroyed them. — Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2021 Both bamboo and raffia palm trees are fast-growing crops that are eco-friendly and non-animal sourced. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, 3 June 2021 For starters, why serve honey and milk for tea and coffee when there are perfectly decent non-animal substitutes? — John Mariani, Forbes, 4 May 2021 The Northwestern researchers who carried out the new study in Nature Neuroscience were familiar with these human and animal experiments on interbrain synchrony. — New York Times, 25 May 2021 The team, who since 2015 have been working to thoroughly examine human and animal mummies from Ancient Egypt at the National Museum in Warsaw, uncovered the body's true identity after spotting a tiny foot in the abdomen on a scan. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 30 Apr. 2021 Preserving perishable human and animal samples at remote field sites has been a critical obstacle, and the vessel would bring the lab to the biological materials, rather than the other way around. — Daniel Grossman, Science | AAAS, 29 Apr. 2021 Within this structure, the Vikings would have burned animal bones, including those of sheep, goat, cattle, horses and pigs. — David Bressan, Forbes, 5 May 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'animal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries Near animal

animae mundi

animal

animal bipes implume

Statistics for animal

Last Updated

1 Sep 2021

Cite this Entry

“Animal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animal. Accessed 2 Sep. 2021.

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More Definitions for animal

animal

noun

an·i·mal | \ ˈa-nə-məl

Kids Definition of animal

1 : any member of the kingdom of living things (as earthworms, crabs, birds, and people) that differ from plants typically in being able to move about, in not having cell walls made of cellulose, and in depending on plants and other animals as sources of food

2 : any of the animals lower than humans in the natural order the animals in the zoo

3 : mammal the birds and animals of the forest

animal

noun

an·i·mal | \ ˈan-ə-məl

Medical Definition of animal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : any of a kingdom (Animalia) of living things including many-celled organisms and often many of the single-celled ones (as protozoans) that typically differ from plants in having cells without cellulose walls, in lacking chlorophyll and the capacity for photosynthesis, in requiring more complex food materials (as proteins), in being organized to a greater degree of complexity, and in having the capacity for spontaneous movement and rapid motor response to stimulation

2a : one of the lower animals as distinguished from human beings

b : mammal broadly : vertebrate

animal

adjective

Medical Definition of animal (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or derived from animals

2 : of or relating to the animal pole of an egg or to the part from which ectoderm normally develops