Synonyms of animate

animate 1 of 2

verb

ˈa-nə-ˌmāt 

as in to stimulate

to give life, vigor, or spirit to

Mr. Clark animates history for his sixth graders by frequently showing up for class dressed like some famous historical figure

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stimulate
• arouse
• enliven
• stir
• vivify
• activate
• energize
• electrify
• provoke
• vitalize
• invigorate
• awaken
• inspire
• quicken
• excite
• recreate
• revive
• jazz (up)
• motivate
• trigger
• drive
• cheer
• lift
• propel
• spike
• fire
• zip (up)
• brace
• motive
• rouse
• amp (up)
• spark
• strengthen
• raise
• awake
• liven (up)
• jump-start
• move
• pep (up)
• rally
• charge
• juice up
• actuate
• boost
• fillip
• resurrect
• ginger (up)
• refresh
• impel
• renew
• wake (up)
• galvanize
• set off
• reanimate
• infuse
• incite
• regenerate
• buoy
• ferment
• foment
• instigate
• inflame
• whip (up)
• steel
• fortify
• turn on
• kindle
• embolden
• hearten
• reactivate
• enkindle
• revitalize
• resuscitate
• abet
• reinvigorate
• reawaken
• enflame
• rekindle
• rejuvenate
• recharge
• restimulate
• reenergize
• refreshen
• reawake

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kill
• dull
• dampen
• undermine
• deaden
• damp
• wear
• harass
• weaken
• drain
• wear out
• burn out
• restrain
• wash out
• weary
• exhaust
• check
• knock out
• debilitate
• suppress
• slow
• inhibit
• enfeeble
• sap
• repress
• curb
• fatigue
• do in
• enervate
• quench
• quell
• stunt
• still
• discourage
• tucker (out)
• fag
• demoralize
• dishearten
• daunt
• jade
• kayo
• dispirit

animate

2 of 2

adjective

ˈa-nə-mət 

1

as in animated

having much high-spirited energy and movement

an animate dance routine that will really get the blood pumping

Synonyms & Similar Words

• animated
• lively
• energetic
• active
• brisk
• bouncing
• awake
• kinetic
• cheerful
• gay
• enthusiastic
• playful
• spirited
• vital
• sprightly
• perky
• jaunty
• springy
• racy
• mettlesome
• spanking
• jazzy
• peppy
• pert
• frisky
• vivacious
• on the go
• sparky
• zippy
• up
• airy
• eager
• snappy
• agile
• bright
• pizazzy
• pizzazzy
• dashing
• dapper
• spiffy
• alert
• buoyant
• nimble
• spry
• effervescent
• wide-awake
• sparkly
• nervous
• keen
• chipper
• agog
• upbeat
• bubbly
• chirpy
• impish
• exuberant
• open-eyed
• frolicsome
• ebullient
• boisterous
• pixieish
• chirrupy
• skittish
• high-spirited
• high-strung

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inanimate
• dead
• lifeless
• inactive
• limp
• languid
• listless
• leaden
• lazy
• inert
• indolent
• weary
• tired
• sluggish
• vapid
• sleepy
• spiritless
• languishing
• languorous
• lethargic
• lackadaisical
• impassive
• apathetic
• stolid
• tedious
• boring
• dull
• torpid
• unambitious
• irksome
• phlegmatic

2

as in breathing

having or showing life

had a dream about a sandwich that becomes animate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• breathing
• alive
• live
• animated
• living
• active
• dynamic
• quick
• lively
• existing
• vibrant
• surviving
• current
• existent
• thriving
• extant
• vigorous
• going
• vital
• prevailing
• vivacious
• resurrected

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inanimate
• deceased
• dead
• cold
• lifeless
• departed
• expired
• dying
• nonliving
• breathless
• defunct
• moribund
• asleep
• fading
• resting
• stillborn
• ghostly
• absent
• gone
• ghostlike
• terminated
• extinct
• vanished
• finished
• wiped out
• nonexistent
• lost
• fallen
• barren
• lapsed
• reposing
• desert
• zombielike
• ghosty
• perished

Synonym Chooser

How is the word animate distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of animate are enliven, quicken, and vivify. While all these words mean "to make alive or lively," animate emphasizes the imparting of motion or vitality to what is or might be mechanical or artificial.

happiness animated his conversation

When would enliven be a good substitute for animate?

Although the words enliven and animate have much in common, enliven suggests a stimulus that arouses from dullness or torpidity.

enlivened her lectures with humorous anecdotes

In what contexts can quicken take the place of animate?

The words quicken and animate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, quicken stresses a sudden renewal of life or activity especially in something inert.

the arrival of spring quickens the earth

When is vivify a more appropriate choice than animate?

While the synonyms vivify and animate are close in meaning, vivify implies a freshening or energizing through renewal of vitality.

new blood needed to vivify the dying club

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of animate

Verb

Indie cultural activations are bound to animate the foundation during Milan Men’s Fashion Week. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 June 2025

Her field notes are animated by sympathetic amusement, a tactful astonishment at the sheer evolutionary peculiarity of this creature. —A.o. Scott, New York Times, 13 June 2025

Adjective

Such seemingly minor biographical details are what animate L’Enchanteur, which was born in 2012 after Soull and Dynasty merged their independent labels—Alkhemi9 and BRZÉ, respectively. —Thessaly La Force, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2025

Users do have creative freedom — freedom to learn to draw, animate, write, score, or direct their own projects. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2025