Meanings
comparative more animate · superlative most animate
- That lives.
Synonyms: alive, living, vital, above ground, alive, alive and kicking, alive and well, animated · Antonyms: inanimate, lifeless, asleep, at rest, blessed, cadaverous, clay-cold, deceased
- animals; ghosts; deities; animals; ghosts; deitiesThat has (or is believed to have) a spirit (anima) and/or some amount of consciousness and sentience, either being alive or supernaturally seeming alive.
present singular third person animates · participle present animating · participle past animated · past animated
- transitiveTo impart motion or the appearance of motion to.
leaves animated by a stiff breeze
1 more example
If we animate the model, we can see the complexity of the action.
Synonyms: get going, impel, actuate, drive, force, get going, impel, motivate · Antonyms: halt, stop, stay, anchor, astand, blin, brake, cease
- transitiveTo give spirit or vigour to; to stimulate or enliven; to inspirit.
The more to animate the people, he stood on high […] and cried unto them with a loud voice.
1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLCSynonyms: enliven, vitalise, arouse, awaken, beghast, leaven, bright, brighten
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveThat lives.
adjectivePossessing the quality or ability of motion.
adjectiveDynamic, energetic.
adjectiveInflected to agree with an animate noun or pronoun.
verbTo impart motion or the appearance of motion to.
verbTo give spirit or vigour to; to stimulate or enliven; to inspirit.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivebelonging to the class of nouns that denote living beings
adjectiveendowed with animal life as distinguished from plant life
verbgive new life or energy to
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂enh₁mos
- Proto-Italic*anamos
- Latinanimus
- Latinanima
- Latinanimō
- Latinanimātus
- Middle Englishanimat(e)
- Englishanimate
Inherited from Middle English animat(e), from Latin animātus, perfect passive participle of animō (“to fill with breath, quicken, encourage, animate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from anima (“soul, spirit, breath”); see anima. The verb derives from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἔμψυχος, ἔμψυχος
- ἔμψυχος (émpsukhos)that which lives
- ἔμψυχος (émpsukhos)dynamic, energetic
Arabic حَيّ, عَاقِل
- حَيّ (ḥayy)that which lives
- عَاقِل (ʕāqil)in grammar
Bulgarian жив, одушеве́н
- жив (živ)that which lives
- одушеве́н (oduševén)that which lives
- оживе́н (oživén)dynamic, energetic
- енерги́чен (energíčen)dynamic, energetic
- одушеве́н (oduševén)in grammar
- съживявам (săživjavam)to impart motion or its appearance
- анимирам (animiram)to impart motion or its appearance
Catalan animat, animat
- animatthat which lives
- animatpossessing the quality or ability of motion
- animatdynamic, energetic
- animarto impart motion or its appearance
Chinese Mandarin 活的, 有生命的
- 活的 (huó de)that which lives
- 有生命的 (yǒu shēngmìng de)that which lives
- 有活力的 (yǒu huólì de)dynamic, energetic
- 有生的 (yǒushēng de)in grammar
Czech životný
- životnýin grammar
Danish levende, besjælet
- levendethat which lives
- besjæletin grammar
- animereto impart motion or its appearance
- tegneto impart motion or its appearance
Dutch bezield
- bezieldin grammar
Esperanto animita, animi
- animitapossessing the quality or ability of motion
- animito impart motion or its appearance
Finnish elävä, elollinen
- eläväthat which lives
- elollinenthat which lives
- liikkuvapossessing the quality or ability of motion
- eloisadynamic, energetic
- vireädynamic, energetic
- elollinenin grammar
- animoidato impart motion or its appearance
French animé, animer
- animéin grammar
- animerto impart motion or its appearance
German lebendig, beseelt
- lebendigthat which lives
- beseeltthat which lives
- bewegtpossessing the quality or ability of motion
- lebhaftdynamic, energetic
- belebtin grammar
- belebento impart motion or its appearance
- animierento impart motion or its appearance
Greek έμψυχος, ζωντανός
- έμψυχος (émpsychos)that which lives
- ζωντανός (zontanós)that which lives
- ζωντανός (zontanós)dynamic, energetic
- ζωντανεύω (zontanévo)to impart motion or its appearance
Irish beoigh, beocht a chur i
- beoighto impart motion or its appearance
- beocht a chur ito impart motion or its appearance
Japanese アニメ化す, アニメーション化す
- アニメ化す (animekasu)to impart motion or its appearance
- アニメーション化す (animēshon kasu)to impart motion or its appearance
Latin animālis, animāns
- animālisthat which lives
- animānsthat which lives
- vīvusthat which lives
- movenspossessing the quality or ability of motion
- ambulanspossessing the quality or ability of motion
Māori hākori
- hākorito impart motion or its appearance
Norwegian Bokmål levende, animere
- levendethat which lives
- animereto impart motion or its appearance
Polish żywy, żywotny
- żywythat which lives
- żywotnyin grammar
- animowaćto impart motion or its appearance
Portuguese animado, animado
- animadothat which lives
- animadopossessing the quality or ability of motion
- animadodynamic, energetic
- animadoin grammar
- animarto impart motion or its appearance
Romanian anima, însufleți
- animato impart motion or its appearance
- însuflețito impart motion or its appearance
Russian живо́й, оживлённый esp. of dicussion
- живо́й (živój)that which lives
- оживлённый esp. of dicussion (oživljónnyj)dynamic, energetic
- talking etc.dynamic, energetic
- энерги́чный (energíčnyj)dynamic, energetic
- живо́й (živój)dynamic, energetic
- одушевлённый (oduševljónnyj)in grammar
- живо́й (živój)in grammar
Scottish Gaelic beothaich
- beothaichto impart motion or its appearance
Spanish animado, animado
- animadothat which lives
- animadopossessing the quality or ability of motion
- animarto impart motion or its appearance
- animartranstive: to give spirit or vigour to
- animarsereflexive: to give spirit or vigour to oneself
Swedish levande, besjälad
- levandethat which lives
- besjäladin grammar
- animerato impart motion or its appearance
Turkish canlı, diri
- canlıthat which lives
- dirithat which lives
- etkinpossessing the quality or ability of motion
- canlıdynamic, energetic
- dinamikdynamic, energetic
- faaldynamic, energetic
- aktifdynamic, energetic
- canlıin grammar
- canlandırmakto impart motion or its appearance
- animasyon yapmakto impart motion or its appearance
Ukrainian живи́й, живи́й
- живи́й (žyvýj)that which lives
- живи́й (žyvýj)in grammar
- істо́та (istóta)in grammar
Welsh animeiddio
- animeiddioto impart motion or its appearance
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
animate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animate
“animate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “animate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/animate.
Source: animate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.