as in stimulates
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
in most instances it's a good idea to enliven a speech with a joke or two
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Recent Examples of enlivens
Artwork by Alisa Galitsyna enlivens the room.
—
Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet each performer enlivens a role that looks a bit beleaguered on the page.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2025
Yet each performer enlivens a role that looks a bit beleaguered on the page.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enlivens
Verb
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The chemical targets a different system in the brain than standard antidepressants, triggering the release of glutamate, which stimulates the growth of new synapses between brain cells.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Vähäsarja vigorously rubbed some cups on Landers’s back—cupping creates a vacuum and stimulates blood flow—and turned the whole thing bright pink.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Beyond the broad concrete steps that traverse the water-friendly (and automatically irrigated) xeriscaped front yard and through the lime-green door that animates the charcoal exterior cladding hides a small courtyard open to the sky, a classic feature in an Eichler home.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
29 Aug. 2025
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Catholic social teaching, which is founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ and built on a commitment to the poor and the strangers among us, guides this work and animates those individuals who financially support it.—
William McCarthy,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Enlivens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enlivens. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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