as in stimulating
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quickening
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of animating
Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Even Republicans agree that a shutdown is not going to be the animating issue in the next election.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Founded in 2005, MiraChechu Productions began as Rey’s one-man creative vehicle, scripting, animating and voicing shorts that earned national and international prizes.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
And hatred rather than ideology is the animating force?
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Some on the panel have a history of criticizing vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 shots which have been an animating force for many of Kennedy's supporters.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
An obsession with Perfidia Beverly Hills (a magnetic Teyana Taylor), the animating figure behind a militant organization called the French 75 and the most stunning subversive to flaunt an automatic weapon while heavily pregnant.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The scientist experiments with animating parts of a corpse and succeeds in creating a sentient man.
—Thomas Page McBee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
But the arrest seems only to have fueled the competing narratives about the root of political violence, as conflicting — and sometimes false — details of the suspect’s possible motivations trickled out in the press, thereby animating the finger-pointing that preceded his capture.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Yet Waymo’s self-driving competitors have also seemed to adopt the ethos that is animating other AI companies.
—Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Even Republicans agree that a shutdown is not going to be the animating issue in the next election.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Founded in 2005, MiraChechu Productions began as Rey’s one-man creative vehicle, scripting, animating and voicing shorts that earned national and international prizes.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
And hatred rather than ideology is the animating force?
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Some on the panel have a history of criticizing vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 shots which have been an animating force for many of Kennedy's supporters.
—Will Stone, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
An obsession with Perfidia Beverly Hills (a magnetic Teyana Taylor), the animating figure behind a militant organization called the French 75 and the most stunning subversive to flaunt an automatic weapon while heavily pregnant.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The scientist experiments with animating parts of a corpse and succeeds in creating a sentient man.
—Thomas Page McBee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
But the arrest seems only to have fueled the competing narratives about the root of political violence, as conflicting — and sometimes false — details of the suspect’s possible motivations trickled out in the press, thereby animating the finger-pointing that preceded his capture.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animating
Verb
-
Looking for stimulating yet budget-friendly things to do with your family in November?—
Jim Higgins,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Diners begin their meal outside with an appetite-stimulating tomato water-and-herb drink and a trio of bite-size canapés highlighting local fruit, vegetables and Wagyu beef.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Wrapped in a towel, barely stirring, but slightly breathing, was a newborn baby girl buried beneath a foot of earth.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Uncover and cook on medium-high until sauce is thickened and glazy, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Monday night’s 25-24 road win over the Washington Commanders was exhilarating.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The journey has been enlightening and exhilarating—but the most thrilling part is still to come.—
Chloe Berge,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But then Swift reveals the full conceit of the song, which is how flattering and even arousing it is to hear about someone thinking about you constantly (even if for negative reasons).—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In fact, studies have found that couples who share novel and arousing activities report greater satisfaction.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Cayenne owners will be able to track charging via their My Porsche app and are able to create pre-conditioning settings to meet their individual needs.—
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Dyson also claims that the Omega nourishing collection delivers up to 94 percent stronger hair, compared to using non-conditioning shampoo on straight hair.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
-
That can lead to misuse, for instance treating a viral infection with antibiotics, which could give resistant bacteria a leg up without providing any therapeutic benefit.—
NPR,
NPR,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Uneven drug distribution can reduce therapeutic outcomes and increase side effects.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Scientifically, preventive medicine is always preferred over curative, but what happens when there is neither prevention nor cure?—
Hany Demian,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The brand’s eye-specific product packs a punch courtesy of antioxidants, fine line–erasing peptides, and Persian silk tree extract (the latter is both a preventative and curative measure against dark circles and puffiness).—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
More classes would also allow more opportunities for students to take remedial or make-up classes without getting off-track.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The office has launched investigations against school districts for teaching lessons on systemic racism, hosting empowerment gatherings for students of color and providing remedial help for Black youth, all of which the administration says discriminates against white students.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Animating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animating. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share