animate
adjective
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Definition of animate
(Entry 1 of 2)
animate
verb
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Definition of animate (Entry 2 of 2)
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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for animate
Synonyms: Adjective
active, airy, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, lively, mettlesome, peppy, perky, pert, racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy
Synonyms: Verb
amp (up), brace, energize, enliven, fire, ginger (up), invigorate, jazz (up), juice up, jump-start, liven (up), pep (up), quicken, spike, stimulate, vitalize, vivify, zip (up)
Antonyms: Adjective
dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languishing, languorous, leaden, lifeless, limp, listless, spiritless, vapid
Antonyms: Verb
damp, dampen, deaden, dull, kill
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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 pumpingVerb
The writer's humor animates the novel. The film's very realistic dinosaurs were animated on computers.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Both distinguish between an animate direct object and an inanimate one. — The Economist, "JohnsonThe painful origins of many creole languages," 1 Feb. 2018 The goal is to persuade the public to look at these landmarks with new eyes, almost viewing them as animate characters with feelings and backstories instead of just objects to walk past. — Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, "Dublin's Statues Will Now Call Your Cell Phone," 17 Oct. 2017 Several people have stories about more animate luggage. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "That Time the TSA Found a Scientist’s 3-D-Printed Mouse Penis," 23 May 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The trouble is that Springsteen’s art had always been animated by a sense of community. — Dan Deluca, Philly.com, "Revisiting the Bruce Springsteen albums nobody likes," 18 May 2018 She's soured on Trump but her politics are still animated by the belief that attracted her to Trump in 2016: Washington is broken, and career politicians are to blame. — John King, CNN, "Trump sits out Indiana Senate primary, and his supporters are split," 8 May 2018 After a recent trip to see prototypes of the wall in California, Trump has grown more animated by the issue, advisers said. — The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, "Trump privately presses for military to pay for border wall," 27 Mar. 2018 After a recent trip to see prototypes of the wall in California, Trump has grown more animated by the issue, advisers said. — Josh Dawsey And Mike Debonis, Houston Chronicle, "Trump privately presses for military to pay for border wall," 27 Mar. 2018 This season’s topics include sketch comedy (with a look at Second City, where the pair have roots); comedians who died young; and animated humor. — Tracy Swartz, chicagotribune.com, "'Will & Grace' star, producing partner dish on CNN series, Woodfield Mall memories," 12 July 2018 Bryant hired Keane to animate Dear Basketball, a love poem that required two drafts. — Lee Jenkins, SI.com, "Fantastic Voyage: Kobe Bryant Is Now an Entertainment Mogul with a Friendlier Mission," 12 July 2018 The book, and subsequent Disney animated movie and live-action film, serve as inspiration for a new Phoenix restaurant. — Kellie Hwang, azcentral, "Alice in Wonderland-themed bar Hatter and Hare now open in Phoenix," 12 July 2018 In 1938, Flora Disney passed away of carbon monoxide poisoning in the house that her son, Walt, had purchased for her after the release of Snow White, his very first feature-length animated movie. — refinery29.com, "The Subtle Reason Why Pixar Movies Differ From The Disney Classics Of Yore," 15 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'animate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for animate
animate
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of animate
(Entry 1 of 2)
: having life : alive or living
animate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of animate (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make (someone or something) lively or excited
: to make (something, such as a drawing) appear to move by creating a series of drawings, pictures, etc., and showing them quickly one after another : to make (something) appear to move by using the process of animation
See the full definition for animate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
animate
adjective
\
Kids Definition of animate
(Entry 1 of 2)
: having life
animate
verb
\
Kids Definition of animate (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to give life or energy to : make alive or lively He was surprised at the eagerness which animated the whole team … —Jack London, The Call of the Wild
2 : to make appear to move animate a cartoon
animate
adjective
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Medical Definition of animate
1 : possessing or characterized by life
2 : of or relating to animal life as opposed to plant life
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