vivify
verb
viv·i·fy
ˈvi-və-ˌfī 
vivified; vivifying
1
: to endow with life or renewed life : animate
rains that vivify the barren hills
2
: to impart vitality or vividness to
concentrating this union of quality and meaning in a way which vivifies both—
John Dewey
John DeweyExamples of vivify in a Sentence
details that vivify the narrative
this re-creation of a town in the Old West really vivifies the history that visitors learned in school
Recent Examples on the Web
But the book also vivifies the fact that most (if not all) art and journalism has a predatory element.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
All of which speaks to a level of seriousness in the notables featured in Young Bloomsbury that the book perhaps did not vivify.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Each of these observers was given a tic, motif, or symbolic compulsion to distinguish and vivify his or her narration.
—Mark Greif, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2022
Their bodies are emphatically their own, no rightful concern of his, and their joy is vivifying.
—New York Times, 16 Feb. 2020
This novel is a beautiful unfolding of characters and relationships that vivify nontraditional family, friendship, love, identity, boundaries, distance, responsibility and forgiveness.
—Beth Py-Lieberman, Smithsonian, 28 Nov. 2019
Every year around this time, a delectable wave of Brazilian music sweeps across the Bay Area, bringing a lush, vivifying surge of beauty to the fading days of summer.
—Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2019
To the first point, the Sanders-Red Hen situation has unearthed (or perhaps vivified) a growing sentiment in our society.
—Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 25 June 2018
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Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
All of which speaks to a level of seriousness in the notables featured in Young Bloomsbury that the book perhaps did not vivify.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Each of these observers was given a tic, motif, or symbolic compulsion to distinguish and vivify his or her narration.
—Mark Greif, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2022
Their bodies are emphatically their own, no rightful concern of his, and their joy is vivifying.
—New York Times, 16 Feb. 2020
This novel is a beautiful unfolding of characters and relationships that vivify nontraditional family, friendship, love, identity, boundaries, distance, responsibility and forgiveness.
—Beth Py-Lieberman, Smithsonian, 28 Nov. 2019
Every year around this time, a delectable wave of Brazilian music sweeps across the Bay Area, bringing a lush, vivifying surge of beauty to the fading days of summer.
—Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2019
To the first point, the Sanders-Red Hen situation has unearthed (or perhaps vivified) a growing sentiment in our society.
—Aaron Blake, Washington Post, 25 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Vivify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vivify. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vivify
verb
viv·i·fy
ˈviv-ə-ˌfī
vivified; vivifying
1
: to put life into : animate
rains that vivified the parched land
2
: to make vivid
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