animism

noun

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an·i·mism | \ ˈa-nə-ˌmi-zəm

Definition of animism

1 : a doctrine that the vital principle of organic development is immaterial spirit

2 : attribution of conscious life to objects in and phenomena of nature or to inanimate objects

3 : belief in the existence of spirits separable from bodies

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Examples of animism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The label, riffing on motifs, iconography, animism and proverbs from across the African continent, was a way for Masekela to pick up the elder Masekela’s mantle and stoke curiosity in the West. — Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2022 When attempting to explain love (and later, death), Heti slips from her biblical register into a kind of animism. — Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2022 Mountains in Korea are sacred places in animism and shamanism, whose traces can still be seen in Korean Seon Buddhism. — Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. — Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. — Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. — Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. — Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 This is vintage Lockwood: animism, eroticism, and absurdity, equal parts surrealist subconscious and vernacular Americana, stretched to the limits of grammar. — Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 See More

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